Seeing Red
by Austin-Keith
Summary: The sequel to Thunder and Lightning, and the continuation to my Power Rangers AU. Tommy, Hayley and Austin are becoming a family and taking on duties as part of the new S.P.D Rangers at the same time. Will they be able to handle Emperor Gruumm and his Troobian Empire, or will their enemies be the least of their worries?
1. 01 Beginnings

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, S.P.D, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(S.P.D theme plays)

As he rode in the back of his custom, 2010 Ford Shelby Mustang Cobra GT500, Austin Oliver sighed inwardly. Despite his excitement over going to Newtech City and the surprise repainting of his car- it was now white with black stripes- he was thoroughly annoyed. His parents, Tommy driving and Hayley riding beside him, would not stop their romantic talk. While glad that they were dating, Austin was going insane listening to all the lovey-dovey chatter coming from the front seat.

Finally, after two hours of having his nose buried as deep into his 3DS as possible, Austin and his parents arrived in Newtech City. Pulling into a visitor's spot at S.P.D's command center, Delta Base, the small family headed into the building's main lobby. A quick chat with the receptionist sent them many floors up, to the center of operations near the top of the building. As they stepped inside, they were surprised to see a what appeared to be a blue, anthro dog talking to a young man.

"Cadet Tate, why do you want to be the Red Ranger?" the dog asked.

"Well, I'm top of B-Squad in every category, and as you know, sir, my father was a Red Ranger," the young man replied, "One of the best ever." The dog noticed the new arrivals.

"Sky, here's a new lesson: always remember there are Rangers that are not S.P.D," he remarked, "For example, this man here. THE best ever." Tommy turned a faint shade of red.

"I'm flattered, Commander Cruger," he replied. Sky stood at attention.

"Tommy Oliver, sir," he remarked, "It's an honor."

"Pleasure to meet you, Cadet," Tommy responded. Sky was then dismissed, allowing Cruger to turn his full attention to Tommy and his family.

"Allow me to introduce myself; Anubis Cruger, head of S.P.D Earth," he remarked.

"It's an honor, sir," Austin replied.

"Pleased to meet you," Hayley added, "I'm sorry about Sirius, your home planet." Cruger backpedaled in shock.

"Who told you about my home planet?" he questioned.

"Oh I'm all about information; it's my business," Hayley explained, "That little tidbit is courtesy of intergalactic Google."

"Impressive. You must be Hayley Ziktor, the genius who's joining Kat as a lead scientist and taking over our lobby cafe," he deduced. The redhead nodded.

"That's me," she confirmed. Cruger turned his gaze to Austin, making the boy appropriately nervous.

"And you must be Austin," he remarked, "It's an honor to have you join the academy. Especially with your dad joining me at command." Austin gained two shades of red.

"Thank you, sir," he replied. Despite being as busy as he was, Cruger personally showed the three recruits to their new rooms, giving them access cards and their first orders. Within two hours, all three of them had moved the belongings they had brought into their rooms, and were meeting with those they'd be working with for the first time.

* * *

While his parents were doing God-knows-what, Austin put the finishing touches on his new room. He used gray bedding for now, which he'd change whenever he was assigned a Ranger color. Already clad in his new, gray and black S.P.D uniform, Austin headed to find the other cadets composing B Squad. It was an easy task, as he found the three young adults sitting idly in a lounge.

"Hey, I'm your newest member, Austin Oliver," he remarked. He received curious looks, but- surprisingly- an overall feeling of acceptance. These three must have been oddballs too, he surmised.

"Bridge Carson, nice to meet you," the brown-haired male replied. They shook hands.

"Sydney Drew, call me Syd," the blonde female continued. Another handshake.

"Sky Tate. I believe we already met," Sky added matter-of-factly. His arms remained folded across his chest. Suddenly, Bridge realized something and spoke up.

"I'd rather not end up explaining this in the middle of a battle, so while we're free… Sky, Syd and I all have unusual genetic abilities," he remarked, "I, for example, can sense others' aura."

"I can alter my molecular structure to become anything I touch," Syd added.

"I can create force fields," Sky finished with mock enthusiasm.

"That's so cool!" Austin replied, awestruck. "I used to have super strength thanks to my Dino Gem..."

"Did you lose it?" Bridge asked. Austin shook his head.

"It's in my room with my old morpher," he explained, "I don't wear it anymore." Syd's interest was piqued now, too.

"Just how strong were you?" she questioned. Austin put a hand on one of the couches in the common room.

"This sofa probably weighs somewhere from 100 to 200 pounds," he demonstrated, "I could grab it with one hand like so, and hoist it onto my shoulder like a pack of sodas." Suddenly, three pairs of bugged-out eyes were staring at him, and he felt a slight weight on his shoulder. "What?"

"You're… isn't it…?" Syd sputtered. Austin looked up to see the couch resting effortlessly on his shoulder. Shocked, he quickly put it back down.

"Well… that was unexpected," he remarked, shocked, "I think I'd better speak with my mom." Excusing himself, he headed to the base's lab area, where Hayley was getting acquainted to working with fellow genius Kat Manx. Kat was a humanoid alien with a few cat-like features, namely her ears and teeth. Austin walked in at a moment when- luckily- both scientists happened to be free.

"Uh, mom… something weird is going on," he remarked.

"Define weird," Hayley replied, confused. Kat listened in curiously.

"My Dino Gem is in my room, but I still have super strength!" Austin explained. Kat raised an eyebrow as Hayley's eyes widened in shock.

"That's not right…" Hayley responded, "Tell me, can you age yourself too?" Austin shrugged.

"I'm not sure. Let me try," he answered. Kat was shocked to see Austin suddenly gain about a decade of age in seconds. Hayley was no less shocked, having previously believed that the ability was tied to his old morpher.

"That's really troubling," she remarked. It was then that Kat stepped in.

"I'm no stranger to special abilities; maybe I can help," she remarked, "What is it that has you troubled?" Hayley turned to her new colleague.

"Until today, those powers were tied to Austin's old morpher," she remarked. Kat asked if any modifications had been made to it during its use, and Hayley explained what she'd done to allow Austin to age himself in order to drive.

"Well that makes sense, then," Kat commented once Hayley finished, "I had a similar experiment go wrong. You see, I designed S.P.D's morphers with the B Squad cadets' parents. Their genetic abilities are a direct result of the experiments that we did." Hayley let the information soak in for a moment.

"So you think that because I altered Austin's morpher, his abilities became part of his genetics?" she questioned. Kat nodded.

"Exactly. That's why he can use them without any assistance," she concluded. Hayley nodded in agreement.

"Austin, you should go tell your father," she instructed, "He'll want to know about this." Nodding, Austin headed up to Ops, where Tommy would no doubt be working with his new boss. Much to his surprise, Austin arrived in the aforementioned room at the same time as the other three cadets.

"Austin, what were you doing off by yourself?" Cruger questioned.

"I had to speak with mom and Kat," he explained, "Apparently, the abilities my Dino Gem gave me were ingrained in my DNA." Tommy's eyes widened.

"So you can use both of your powers without your gem?" Tommy asked, shocked. Austin nodded.

"Considering the situation, perhaps that was for the best. That aside, I have new orders for you, Cadets." Cruger added. B Squad immediately stood at attention, anticipating a new assignment.

* * *

"Bring in the Parkington Market thieves; it must be some kind of code…" Bridge muttered as B Squad trekked through the city. Sky rolled his eyes.

"For 'Bring in the Parkington Market thieves' obviously," he retorted, "You shouldn't expect the #2 squad to get top missions, Bridge." Austin looked up at the fellow second-generation cadet.

"Give him a break, Sky," he responded tersely, "He's not the only one eager to be a Ranger, after all." Sky's cheeks flushed as he was called out by someone he considered inferior. The group was silent until they came upon an empty truck where two humans were handing out stolen clothing to what appeared to be homeless people. One thief was an African-American male with short, black dreadlocks. The other was a caucasian female with short, dark brown hair.

Predictably by Newtech standards, the thieves did not come quietly and thus began an intense fight. The squad split up, Bridge and Syd taking on the woman while Austin and Sky took on her partner. Both criminals were outnumbered, but put up a surprisingly good fight. The woman actually defeated Bridge and Syd by using her own genetic ability and splitting into several copies of herself. Austin and Sky, however, thoroughly outclassed the man and seemed on the cusp of victory.

Unfortunately, they were surprised by a flurry of dirty tactics, including blinding them with clothes and the use of tables. Not only that, but the woman was quick to assist once she'd dealt with Bridge and Syd. The mission was a colossal failure, which was far below Austin's expectations. However, the woman's genetic ability had piqued his interest; where had she acquired such a power? This question and more lingered as the four cadets headed back to Delta base.

* * *

Deep in outer space, Emperor Gruumm- leader of the Troobian Empire- stood aboard his ship in a bout of frustration. In order to reach Earth, his next target, he'd have to get through a large wormhole. To do so, however, he required a proton accelerator. Summoning one of his trusty henchmen, a robot with a black and light blue color scheme, he made his instructions clear.

"Go to Earth and get me the proton accelerator at any cost!" Gruumm ordered. Nodding in acceptance, the robot darted off to begin its task.

* * *

With the S.P.D. Cadets off their trail, Jack Landors and Elizabeth Delgado doubled back to their truck late that night. As they loaded up the few good items they could salvage from their last operation, a green alien in a suit ran up and thrust a strange, metal object into Jack's hands.

"Help me! Take this; don't let them have it!" the man half instructed, half begged, "The future of the planet depends on it! Hide It!" Glancing worriedly back from whence he'd come, the man screamed and ran onward, jumping down to lower ground before disappearing.

"Why do the nuts of the world always seem to find you?" Elizabeth- who went by Z- questioned, laughing in amusement. Jack shrugged as they brought the object with them into the cab of their truck. Just as their backs were turned, something darted by in the same direction as the strange man. Shrugging it off, Jack and Z headed off to prepare for their next job.

* * *

"You not only failed to bring in the thieves, but were soundly defeated in battle," Cruger barked, "This is unacceptable." He turned and eyed each Cadet closely. "What is it going to take for you to start acting like a team?" The four young adults stared at their feet, humiliated.

"Cruger, your judgment is sound, " Tommy cut in, "However, I have seen many Ranger teams start out this way. Every time, they worked through their issues and saved the world in the process."

"Captain Oliver is right, and due to the Troobian Empire's approach, it may be best to get you acquainted with your powers sooner rather than later," Cruger admitted, "Follow me."

* * *

The four cadets were only mildly surprised when they were led to the S.P.D lab while Tommy watched over Ops. There, Kat was waiting with her assistant, Boom, the latter holding a tray containing four S.P.D morphers. Kat took one, and began explaining its functions.

"S.P.D morphers. They are, without a doubt, your best friend. They are also judgment scanners. They will assess the guilt or innocence of those you take into custody," she began, "Boom, guilty or innocent of eating the last piece of chocolate cake this morning." Kat activated the morpher's judgment scanner, which flashed between an 'X' and a circle as it judged its target. "The scanner reads body temperature, pulse and electrical impulses and then renders a verdict." Kat contined. The morpher then stopped flashing, displaying a red 'X'. "Guilty."

"But-!" Boom started. Kat rolled her eyes.

"And it does not make mistakes," she added. Boom confessed to the 'crime' and then Kat suddenly activated another feature of the morpher. Within seconds, her assistant was confined to a small, metal card. Picking it up off the ground, Kat continued her shpiel. "This makes transportation of the detainee a non-issue." That concluded the explanation, so Cruger took over the speech.

"Despite the decision to upgrade you to active status, there is an issue," he remarked, "Regrettably, academy regulations require all personnel to complete a full written and physical final exam before they can wield a morpher." Austin's shoulders slumped.

"It doesn't involve S.P.D history, does it?" he groaned, knowing he'd flunk.

"I'll waive that part," Cruger replied, "That aside, you are to head down and take the exam immediately. The rest of you, take a morpher and head back to Ops. Oh and Sky, a word?"

"Yes, sir!" the four cadets remarked, doing as they were told. Cruger took the eldest cadet aside in the hallway.

"If Syd was the Red Ranger, would you follow her into battle?" Cruger asked. Sky seemed amused by the question.

"With all due respect, sir, she's a girl," he answered. Cruger tried again.

"What about Bridge?" he questioned.

"He's a good man, sir, but he's not really a leader," Sky answered.

"Thank you for your honesty, Cadet," Cruger responded, "Go rejoin your teammates in Ops; Captain Oliver has your next assignment."

Saluting, Sky turned and hurried towards Ops.

* * *

With the last of the food and clothes he and Z had stolen given away, Jack retrieved the strange, metal object from the back of the truck.

"Well, this is all that's left. You can't eat it or wear it, so it has no value," he remarked, shooting it into a trash can like a basketball. Z shook her head, not at all amused by his antics. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a pair of sirens, and were disheartened to see three of the cadets from earlier drive up in a jeep and on a motorcycle. Within moments they were in another face-off.

"Nice to see you two again," Sky remarked sarcastically.

"I told you we should have quit while we were ahead, Jack," Z griped.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of this and we'll be on our way," Jack retorted. He charged Sky, but his foe formed a force field that- upon impact- sent him flying backward to the ground.

"Guess what? You're not the only ones with tricks," Sky remarked, grinning. Z pulled Jack to his feet and turned to flee.

"Jack, we've gotta get out of here!" she remarked. The man shook her off.

"We gotta finish this now or these clowns will be chasing us forever," he countered. Z groaned as another fight began. This time, the cadets changed their strategy to avoid further humiliation, and managed to outwit the thieves. With the tables turned, Jack and Z attempted to flee but were cornered by the cadets. Sky pulled out his morpher and held it up for judgment.

"You are accused of stealing and distributing stolen goods," he remarked.

"Okay, can you prove it?" Jack scoffed.

"Actually, yes we can," Bridge replied, excited. Sky activated the morpher's judgment scan, which quickly came up guilty. Before the Rangers could take any further action, however, a humanoid wearing a black and silver jumpsuit and a blue helmet dropped down in front of them. The mysterious person tossed a silver ball into the air, which released- a horde of other jumpsuit-wearing humanoids? The Rangers reevaluated their conclusion; just what were they dealing with?

* * *

As Austin neared S.P.D's dedicated Testing Center, he was surprised to see a guard barring entry to the aforementioned area.

"Halt, youngling. This is a secure area, please return to your class at once," the guard barked. Austin sighed inwardly.

"I'm Austin Oliver, B Squad cadet. I'm here to take the academy final exam," he argued. The guard contacted someone inside through an earpiece, and after a moment his look of disgust faded.

"My apologies, Mr. Oliver," he remarked, unlocking the door, "I mistook you for one of the junior cadets. Head inside and take your exam."

"Thank you," Austin replied. Entering the Testing Center lobby, he was directed to a seating area to wait for the instructor carrying out his exam. As he sat down, he caught a couple of jeers from two teenage cadets manning one of the assistance desks.

"Aww, someone thinks he's a big boy and can be a Ranger," one taunted. The male used a babyish voice people often used with toddlers.

"Such a cute little guy; I'm almost sorry he's going to flunk," a girl added. A glare from the officer working the main desk shut them up, but already the damage had been done. Heading into his exam, Austin felt both discouraged and defeated. Despite an encouraging instructor and all the training he'd done with his father, he felt he barely managed an average performance in the physical portion of the exam. The written part was largely S.P.D protocol, and he guessed most of the answers using common sense and process of elimination. He was not optimistic about his chances.

* * *

In the meantime, Austin's teammates were not faring well against the attack force composed of- according to Sky when he blasted one open- alien robots. The robotic soldiers were able to push back the Rangers, and then the blue-headed one blasted them back with its arm laser. After that crushing blow, the three young adults were all but defeated. Suddenly, Jack and Z charged back into the fray, taking out several robots as they turned the tide of the battle.

Accepting the unexpected assistance, the B Squad Rangers led a renewed effort which saw all of the silver-colored footsoldiers defeated. Left alone and with its target nowhere in sight, the blue-headed robot quickly fled the scene. Bridge and Syd moved to celebrate the victory with Jack and Z, but Sky interrupted by seizing Jack's arm mid-high-five. Before he could attempt an arrest, however, Tommy drove up in another S.P.D. Jeep, his expression less than pleasant.

"Lieutenant Tate, stand down!"

* * *

Back at Delta Base, Commander Cruger met with the new prisoners in the cell the two shared. Having heard about Z's genetic ability, he opted to give the two a chance to serve most of their time and community service by being Rangers. Jack refused the position, still not happy about being imprisoned despite assisting B Squad. Z, on the other hand, accepted the position because she'd been wanting to be part of something bigger for a while.

Once Z was outfitted in a uniform and all the formalities were taken care of, Cruger took her out to meet her new squad: the same Rangers that had arrested her. Sky, Bridge and Syd were surprised to see their boss walk up with someone they expected to be in prison.

"Rangers, Elizabeth Delgado-," Cruger was cut off by Z.

"Hey, remember me? Yeah, you can call me Z," she remarked.

"Hey," Bridge responded, waving.

"Hey," Z replied, smiling. Cruger sighed inwardly and resumed speaking.

"Rangers, Ms. Delgado has chosen to join S.P.D; I've assigned her to B Squad," he announced.

"Sir, she's a criminal," Sky protested. Cruger resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"Duly noted," he replied. Sky wasn't satisfied.

"Sir, we've been here for years, and you put her with us?" he questioned.

"Lieutenant, you may be wise to remember that she was a worthy opponent despite your prior training and greater number," Cruger lectured, "She is your new team member, and I expect you to treat her as such." Sky quickly backed down. As he was about to leave, Cruger stopped and looked over the Rangers once more.

"Where is Lieutenant Oliver?" he questioned, referring to Austin. The Rangers shrugged before Syd finally spoke up.

"Sir, we haven't seen him since the morpher demonstration," she explained. Cruger nodded.

"Thank you, Sydney," he responded, "Z, please make sure to stop by the Testing Center and take the academy final once you've settled in. Now, you'll all have to excuse me." The Rangers saluted as Cruger headed back inside, likely to find his missing Ranger.

"So, what do you guys do for fun?" Z asked. Sky smirked.

"Bring in thieves."

* * *

Commander Cruger walked into Ops and immediately caught his second-in-command's eye. Tommy stopped what he was doing and approached his boss, wondering what had the Sirian so worried.

"Anubis, is everything alright?" he asked. Cruger shook his head.

"I received Austin's test scores half an hour ago, but he hasn't rejoined his squad," Cruger explained.

"Well, considering the situation, I'd advise you to check with Hayley," Tommy replied, "Austin didn't come to me, so he's probably with her."

"Thank you, Tommy; I'll go check the cafe," Cruger replied. Before leaving, he handed the former Green Ranger an S.P.D morpher. "I'll send Austin up when I find him," the Sirian added, "I feel it's only proper that you give it to him." Nodding, Tommy hurried to finish his prior task while Cruger headed downstairs.

* * *

After a quick elevator ride and a stroll through the lobby, Cruger arrived in the S.P.D Cafe. The business, which was likely to become the Newtech location for Hayley's Cyberspace, featured normal tables and a bar that sat roughly ten patrons. Sitting on one of the barstools, sipping quietly on a 20 -ounce, cookies and creme milkshake, was Austin. Hayley, his mother, was serving a male S.P.D Lieutenant several stools down the bar.

"Austin, are you alright? You've got everyone worried," Cruger questioned, taking a seat beside the boy. Austin remained silent for a few moments.

"...my exam didn't go too well," he finally spoke. Cruger raised an eyebrow.

"Care to give me the details?" he asked. Austin let out an inaudible sigh.

"I got mistaken for a junior cadet on the way in, two teenage cadets picked on me in the waiting room, I guessed my way through the written portion of the exam, and finally managed only an average performance in the physical part," he recalled gloomily

"I'm sorry you had to deal with all that; we don't tolerate harassment at the academy," Cruger apologized, "That being said, you must be an excellent guesser because you scored a 90." Austin's eyes widened.

"Really? What about the physical part?" he questioned eagerly. Cruger had to suppress an excited grin.

"Well, you must have high standards on your physical performance, because the instructor felt a 100 didn't do your 'average performance' justice," he answered, "After a manual override, your score was entered as a 120." Austin's jaw dropped.

"That's unbelievable.." he sputtered. Cruger smiled and gave the boy a pat on the back.

"That's also an academy record," he remarked, "You're better than you think, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise." Austin managed a smile whilst also turning a light shade of red.

"Thank you, Commander Cruger," he replied. The Sirian took note of the boy's now-empty milkshake.

"If you're feeling up to it, you should rejoin your squad," he suggested, "I should have another assignment for you soon, and they could use your help." Austin nodded, hopping down from his barstool.

"Are you going to pay for that?" Cruger questioned, indicating the empty glass.

"It's on the house," Hayley answered. Austin smirked.

"I should have known…" Cruger remarked, shaking his head. Getting to his feet, the Commander of S.P.D Earth walked with Austin towards the exit.

* * *

Just over an hour later, Austin and his fellow B Squad Power Rangers- Z having taken the exam by now- headed for the Ops Center after being called to report for an assignment. As they neared the room, they passed by A Squad as the top Rangers headed out on their own mission. By removing one of his black gloves, Bridge allowed his genetic ability to activate and automatically sensed all five of their auras. However, the readings he got were not quite what he had expected.

"Everything alright, Bridge?" Syd asked. Bridge shook his head.

"It's A Squad," he answered, "Something's off about them." Sky rolled his eyes.

"It's probably nothing," he remarked, "Let's get to Ops."

* * *

Arriving in the heart of S.P.D Earth, the B Squad Power Rangers were met by Commander Cruger, who was almost completely alone. He bore a serious expression, which told the Rangers that the ensuing conversation was no place for bickering and nonsense.

"Rangers, I have some serious questions for you," Cruger announced, "Lieutenant Oliver, since you were taking the exam during the mission in question, you are excused from this discussion. Instead, please meet with your father in his quarters."

"Understood, sir," Austin replied, saluting. As their teammate headed down the hall, the rest of B Squad listened intently to Cruger's words.

"Please recap exactly what happened during the engagement which led to Lieutenant Delgado's and her partner's arrests," the Sirian instructed. Sky stepped forward.

"Sir, we engaged them in battle, and eventually cornered them for judgment. We managed to assign a guilty verdict, but were then interrupted by a large group of robots," he remarked.

"Bridge, you're usually observant. What did they look like?" Cruger questioned.

"They were black with silver, soccer ball heads that went 'bing bing!' Not very intelligent," Bridge recalled. Cruger nodded; his suspicions had been confirmed.

"Krybots; Troobian robotic footsoldiers," he explained. Suddenly, Syd spoke up.

"There was also a blue one, sir-," she started. The blonde was unable to get out another word as Cruger cut her off.

"A bluehead?" he exclaimed, "Those are Gruumm's elite personal guard! This is more serious than I thought." The four Rangers were now showing signs of worry. "Z, did you and Jack have anything the Troobians would have wanted?" Cruger asked. Z shook her head.

"All we had stolen was food and clothing, which we'd given away by that time," she answered.

"You're sure there wasn't anything else?" Sky questioned. Z glared at him, but did manage to recall something.

"There was this strange metal thing some guy gave Jack," she recalled, "It was worthless though; we threw it away." Everyone stared incredulously at her.

"Maybe it had value after all, Lieutenant," Cruger remarked, "Rangers, your orders are to investigate this 'strange metal thing'. Return to the scene and see if you can locate it."

"Yes, sir!" the four Rangers responded, saluting. They left Ops quickly, and soon were headed towards the scene in/on their vehicles.

* * *

Austin was unsure what to expect when he arrived at the entrance to his dad's room. When the door slid open, he was greeted by the sight of Tommy sitting on his bed, an S.P.D morpher in his hands. The boy walked inside and sat down next to his father, who looked down at him with a smile.

"Almost 14 years," he remarked, "That's how long it's been since a Ranger has suited up a second time." Austin nodded.

"That was when TJ and the Turbo Rangers became Space Rangers, right?" he asked. Tommy nodded.

"Rangers these days are only around for a year or so," he continued, "The fact that you're following in my footsteps and continuing to protect Earth… I am very proud of you." Austin couldn't help but blush.

"Thanks, dad," he replied. Tommy pulled his son into a hug, and was quickly hugged back. The Power Ranger legend then held out the morpher.

"Take this, and go be the best Ranger you can, even if you're still blue," he spoke. Austin nodded.

"I'll do it even if I'm green!" he promised, "After all, that's not too shabby a color either." Tommy couldn't help but smile as his son winked and stood to leave. The former Green Ranger got to his feet as well, walking his son to the elevator before making his way back to Ops.

* * *

The other B Squad Rangers arrived at the scene of their prior engagement and were led to a trash can by Z. Reaching inside, she produced a metal object that resembled a tiny atomic bomb.

"Let's take it back to base for examination," Sky remarked, grabbing the item.

"Why can't we investigate it ourselves?" Syd questioned, taking it straight out of Sky's hands. She barely got a hold of it before Bridge snatched it up.

"That'd certainly be easier," he added. Z reclaimed the strange object.

"Actually, we can. The S.P.D handbook states that Rangers on active duty can investigate any leads pertaining to their case." she recited. The others gawked at her in amazement. "What? I'm a quick study." Sky was the first to regain his composures.

"Alright then, I suppose we can investigate," he responded. Z smirked proudly.

"Great; I know just the person to ask."

* * *

The B Squad Power Rangers were appalled to find themselves led to a grimy, smelly dumpster. Z knocked on the metal container, and surprisingly- except to her- was greeted by a strange creature who apparently lived inside. The creature was a humanoid alien with a head composed entirely of spikes and covered in tan scales for skin.

"Piggy, I've got something for you to look at," she remarked, holding up the metal item.

"That's nothing but trash, let me dispose of it for you," Piggy remarked, grabbing at the object. Z pulled it away with lightning speed.

"Bridge, the sandwich," she remarked. Bridge handed her a putrid plastic bag that he was glad to be rid of. "Mmm… rotten bologna sandwich… probably been thrown away for at least a week…" The sandwich was too good for Piggy to pass up.

"Alright!" he conceded, "What you have there is just your run-of-the-mill proton accelerator. There's only one on Earth, so that must be it." Z went to hand Piggy the sandwich, but the Rangers were suddenly interrupted by another Blue-head Krybot. Snatching the sandwhich Z almost immediately dropped, Piggy retreated into his dumpster. Meanwhile, the Blue-head summoned another squadron of normal Krybots, beginning yet another battle for the Rangers.

Without help from Austin or even Jack, the four Rangers were quickly overwhelmed. As the state of the fight deteriorated, Bridge began one of the ramblings that preceded most of his questions.

"Damnit Bridge, what the hell are you trying to say?" Syd asked, fed up.

"It's another one of his long, drawn-out questions," Sky quickly responded. Bridge stopped instantly.

"Wait, I ask long, drawn-out questions?" he asked. The others looked at him with expressions that told the whole story. "Alright! I was just thinking, wouldn't now be a good time to morph?"

"Yes, it would!" Sky replied, pulling out his morpher. The others followed suit.

"S.P.D, emergency!" they cried out together. Their morphers activated, turning each of them into a Power Ranger for the very first time.

"S.P.D Pink!" Syd exclaimed, completing her morphing sequence.

"S.P.D Yellow!" Z continued.

"S.P.D Green!" Bridge added.

"S.P.D Blue!" Sky finished, "Wait, what? I'm supposed to be the Red Ranger!"

"Save it for later, number 2!" Syd, whose Ranger suit bore the number 5, barked. With order restored amongst the team, the Rangers pulled out their weapons- the Deltamax Strikers- and began turning the tide of battle. As the soldiers adapted to the sword-like weapons, the Rangers surprised them again by shifting the strikers into blaster mode. Despite defeating most of the Krybots, the Blue-head and his arm laser were still too much for the Rangers to handle.

"We've got company!" Syd cried suddenly, pointing. A silhouette of someone running could be seen far behind the Krybot.

"Friend or foe?" Bridge questioned. As the person grew near, more light began to reach him or her, and their size became quite clear.

"It's Austin!" Z exclaimed. The last B Squad Ranger clutched a morpher in one hand, and skidded to a stop with the Blue-head between him and the others.

"You guys need some help?" Austin asked. Sky indicated the Blue-head.

"Just with him!" he answered. Austin took a deep breath and activated his morpher.

"S.P.D, emergency!" he cried. His morphing sequence began, and soon he was feeling power the likes of which he had never felt before. Once fully morphed, he struck the usual first-morph pose. "S.P.D Red!" he cried instinctively. Sky backpedaled in shock.

"You've gotta be kidding me; _he's_ the Red Ranger?" he sputtered. Austin was unfazed.

"Let's get this party started!" he taunted. The Blue-head summoned more Krybots to fend off his new opponent.

"Footsoldiers? No problem!" Austin remarked, grinning inside his helmet. The Krybots attacked, but Austin dispatched them with ease using his superior fighting skills. Suddenly, he was blasted back by the Blue-head's now-infamous arm laser. Getting back to his feet, Austin glared at the approaching Krybots.

"Alright, time to liven things up!" he remarked, pulling his dual weapons from their holsters, "Delta Blasters!" Blasting through the first few attackers, Austin used the Delta Blasters as he took out his entire batch of Krybots in an impressive and explosive display. "This rocks!" he announced to no one in particular. Meanwhile, the other Rangers came to a stop, having defeated their Krybots.

"Now he's just showing off," Syd remarked, jealous. Sky nodded in agreement.

"If his dad's anything to go by, we haven't seen anything yet," Bridge countered, watching expectantly. Finally reaching the Blue-head, Austin managed to blast it back along with a few normal Krybots that surrounded it. Left on its own, the Bluehead found itself in a dire situation.

"Hey, he's not following academy regulations!" Sky observed angrily. Meanwhile, Austin combined his blasters into one.

"Delta Blaster, combo mode!" he cried, "Fully charged!" The Red Ranger didn't hesitate a moment. "Fire!" he finished, unleashing a blast that destroyed the Blue-head in a spectacular explosion.

"Where'd you get that?" Sky questioned, running up with the others.

"Came with the suit," Austin replied, grinning ear to ear inside his helmet. While the Rangers felt ready to celebrate, more evil lurked in the shadows nearby. Broodwing, one of Gruumm's underlings, summoned a giant robot to attack the city. "Please tell me we have zords!" Austin exclaimed worriedly.

"Commander Cruger, Blue Ranger requesting squad runners! Looks like we're about to battle a giant robot!" Sky spoke into his morpher's microphone.

"B Squad, I've sent A Squad. Your orders are to evacuate your position," Cruger responded. Austin exhaled sadly.

"That's a buzzkill," he groaned. While they watched A Squad defeat the robot with the Megazord, the B Squad Rangers powered down and searched for the proton accelerator. Austin noticed that their uniforms had been emblazoned with their respective Ranger colors, but shrugged it off as it was an expected byproduct of morphing. That aside, they were unable to find the device, and were forced to return to base feeling a mixture of both success and failure.

* * *

As B Squad entered the Ops Center, Austin found himself mobbed by his parents. The young Ranger didn't mind at all, though, and happily returned their hugs.

"We are so proud of you, my little Red Ranger," Hayley gushed, sounding a bit unlike herself. Austin turned as red as his uniform.

"Thanks, mom," he replied half-sarcastically. Tommy put a hand on his son's shoulder.

"The first father and son to be Red Ranger; I can hardly believe it," he remarked. Austin smiled up at his father and idol.

"I can't either," he admitted, "But it's really exciting." Tommy chuckled, giving his son a light squeeze.

"It is," he confirmed, "And I couldn't be prouder." With his chest about to burst from pride and excitement, Austin joined his fellow Rangers as they lined up.

"Rangers, I'm not sure if I should congratulate you or reprimand you," Cruger remarked, "On one hand, you lost the proton accelerator and allowed Gruumm to reach Earth." The Rangers hung their heads in shame. "However, you also defeated his Krybots and have given us a new set of defenders. Job well done, I suppose, but I expect better work in the future. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir!" the Rangers replied. While everyone else left, Sky took his boss aside in frustration.

"Sir, it seems there was some kind of mistake," he began, "I was given the Blue Ranger power; I thought we agreed-" The disgruntled Ranger was cut off.

"There was no mistake," Cruger responded sternly, "Austin is your leader, and I expect you to follow him. Understood?" Sky sighed and nodded.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Austin Oliver peeked into the hallway from one of Delta Base's two bathrooms- one for each gender- with showers. It was just past nine o'clock, and he was the only person left inside. Remaining silent, he listened for any sound of movement, breathing or conversation. Much to Austin's relief, it seemed most people had turned in by now, because the hallway was dead silent and devoid of occupants. The boy thanked the heavens as he rushed down the hall and entered his room.

Once inside, Austin turned and locked his door with a numerical pin. Now that he was secure inside his room, the boy let out a relieved sigh and began to relax. Putting his uniform into a compact, alien-made washing machine, he stretched out atop his soft, comfortable bed. As he lay atop his new, red bedding, Austin let the day's events sink in. He was now a Red Ranger, just like his father before him, and was leading an entire squad of S.P.D Power Rangers.

Austin was excited about this new chapter in his life, but still could barely believe it was happening. He looked down between his legs, his gaze falling on the unusual garment he wore. Ever since the infamous Wizard Wood incident, he'd been having increased back issues. Even prior to the injury he had suffered from occasional back pain due to his slight Scoliosis. Now, not only was it flaring up worse than ever before, but he was having other issues as well. Namely, it seemed he was having an issue with his spinal cord that- embarrassingly- had turned him into a bedwetter.

Austin was now clad in a red, Power Rangers Zeo t-shirt two sizes too large, which was doing a half-decent job of hiding his embarrassing lower garment. The disposable padding was a special design, bearing Power Rangers logos and red tapes. Austin was now forced to wear the custom-ordered diapers when he slept, as most nights would result in wet sheets without them. Letting out a sigh, he rolled over and hid his padding beneath the sheets. Why did his best luck always come after his worst?

Opening his laptop, Austin signed into his- and the only- user profile and then immediately logged into Skype. As he had hoped, the new star of the Reefside Wave, Conner McKnight, was online. Placing a video call, he waited with bated breath to see if his friend would answer. Much to the young Ranger's delight, Conner picked up after only two rings. It seemed the soccer star had just showered up after his second game as a pro.

"Glad you're still keeping in touch up there, Austin. How'd your first couple days go?" Conner asked. By some twist of fate, Austin and Conner were actually the closest friends from the old DinoThunder team. Austin enjoyed talking to his old leader, who had grown close to him through their former rivalry. The younger Ranger smiled back at his friend.

"Things went pretty well. You'll never believe what color Ranger I am," Austin answered. Conner observed the decor in his friend's room, as well as the clothes the boy wore.

"Hmm, I'd say pink by the looks of it," he toyed. Austin couldn't help but laugh.

"You always were a kidder," he remarked, "Believe it or not, Conner; I'm red." Conner smiled like a proud father.

"That's great news, kiddo. I'm sure you'll be an amazing leader," he replied. Austin blushed lightly from the praise.

"Not as good as you," he insisted. Conner's expression suddenly became serious.

"You and I both know that you saved my butt more times than I saved yours," he reminded the boy, "You're going to be a great leader, I promise you." Austin turned an even brighter shade of red.

"Thank you, Conner," he replied, "How's soccer going?" The elder Red Ranger paused for a moment in recollection.

"Well, we just started the season, but we've already won 2 games," he finally answered, "Hey, now that I think about it, we've got one in Newtech soon! I'll have to pay you guys a visit." Austin grinned excitedly.

"Awesome! I can't wait to see you!" he responded. Conner chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm.

"Neither can I," he replied, "Now, however, I think it's time you went to bed. It's getting late." Austin frowned.

"Aww…" he moaned. Conner quickly checked himself.

"Don't worry, we can always talk again tomorrow," he added. Austin managed a smile.

"That's true," he admitted, "Well, good night Conner."

"Good night, Austin," Conner replied, "Make me proud out there." Austin blushed yet again, but nodded anyway.

"I'll do my best," he promised. With that, the two friends ended their call, Austin closing his laptop for the night. Just as he was about to hit the hay, the young Red Ranger was shocked to hear the words 'access granted' come from his door. The question of who could possibly have guessed his PIN was answered when none other than his mom entered the room. As the door closed behind her, Hayley took a seat at the end of her son's bed.

"Sorry about breaking in," she apologized, "How are you doing?" Austin hesitated for a moment.

"Alright, I suppose. This whole bedwetting thing is still bothering me," he admitted. Hayley gave a look of concern.

"Come here," she remarked. Austin climbed out from under the sheets and into his mother's lap. "Tell me why it's bothering you."

"Well, for starters it's embarrassing. None of the other Rangers have to deal with it," he explained, "Plus, the doctors have said that bedwetting could lead to daytime issues. That's not the worst part, though…" Hayley held her son close and rubbed his back reassuringly.

"First off, Austin, no one else knows about this, and I'll always support you. There's no need to be embarrassed," she assured him, "Secondly, you can work to avoid that. We've discussed it before." Austin shook his head.

"Yeah, but they say if the problem's bad enough-!" Hayley silenced the boy, speaking softly into his ear.

"You're case is minor, though," she reminded him, "You'll be fine." Austin sighed and let his head come to rest on his mom's shoulder.

"There's another reason… I'm embarrassed…" he murmured. Hayley continued to try and cheer him up.

"Sometimes it helps to get things out," she remarked, "Tell me what it is." Austin hesitated for an unusually long amount of time, his cheeks turning red in the process.

"W-Well, I… I kinda like the diapers…" he finally admitted, "They're comfy and I don't have to worry as much." Hayley wasn't fazed at all.

"That's fine, Austin. If anything, it should make this easier on you," Hayley replied. Austin wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, but... if anyone finds out, that'll really ruin me…" he muttered. Hayley looked him straight in the eye.

"You have had this problem for months and you own father doesn't know," Hayley replied, "No one is going to find out." Austin had to admit she was right. His fears were quelled, for now at least. He pulled his mom into a hug.

"As usual, I have to admit you're right," he remarked, "Thanks for supporting me, mom." Hayley smiled and hugged back.

"You're welcome, Austin," she responded, "I love you; always remember that." Austin smiled and nodded.

"Love you too, mom," he assured her. The young boy then climbed back under the sheets and was promptly tucked in by his mother.

"Good night, see you in the morning," Hayley whispered.

"Night, mom," Austin replied, smiling. He then closed his eyes, hearing the door open and close before he drifted off to sleep.


	2. 02 Walls

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, S.P.D, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(S.P.D theme plays)

After his strenuous first couple of days, Austin's first week at S.P.D academy went a bit more smoothly for he and the rest of B Squad. Sky still showed clear resentment at not being Red Ranger, however, which was becoming a recurring problem. In the meantime, A Squad had continued taking Zord duties, so the whole ordeal was becoming a bit of a disappointment.

* * *

Meanwhile, in space, Emperor Gruumm stood aboard his ship and thought aloud.

"If I know Cruger, he'll send his top soldiers to stop the attack, leaving Earth ripe for the picking," he surmised. After some further pondering, he finalized his plan and sent a small attack force to do the job.

* * *

That same day, the members of B-Squad arrived at Ops just in time to see A Squad rushing out. Filing in once the doorway was clear, they gathered around Commander Cruger to be briefed.

"Rangers, A Squad has been sent to deal with an attack in the nearby Helix nebula. Until they return, you five are Earth's primary defenders," he announced, "As such, you are hereby elevated to zord status, Lieutenants." Austin cheered inwardly.

"Thank you, sir," the five Rangers responded. The five Lieutenants were then dismissed.

* * *

Later in the day, B Squad spent some leisure time playing light ball, a futuristic version of dodge ball. Austin teamed with Z, the two facing Bridge and Syd. Sky, on the other hand, sat on the sidelines reading a book and eating popcorn. After a rather quick game in which Austin and his teammate easily defeated their opponents, the Red Ranger stepped over to his second in command.

"Come on Sky, you should play with us," he remarked. The Blue Ranger shook his head.

"There's no time for games anymore. Emperor Gruumm's not playing around, and neither am I," he retorted. This did not sit well with one Pink Ranger.

"Come on, you used to love this game," she begged. Before Sky could respond, the Rangers were interrupted by another loud siren. Dropping everything, they rushed towards Ops.

* * *

B Squad arrived in Ops to find Tommy running things while Cruger was out for unknown reasons. Kat and Hayley stood nearby at a terminal.

"What's the emergency?" Sky asked in a serious tone. Tommy brought up an image on a the main holo screen.

"A giant robot is attacking the city, likely piloted by one of Gruumm's monsters," he announced, "Use the Delta Runners to bring it down."

"I'll open the zord bay," Kat added. Within seconds, several of the room's outer panels lifted to reveal five holes, resembling the beginning of a water slide.

"Thanks Kat. Let's do it guys!" Austin replied. The Rangers pulled out their morphers.

"S.P.D, emergency!" they cried. Morphing for only the second time- and their first as a full team- the Rangers jumped into the holes, sliding down tubes and into their respective zords.

"Delta Runners 1 through 5 are online," Hayley reported happily.

"Hayley, can you go finish up those two vehicles we were working on?" Kat asked, "I can take it from here." The redhead nodded at her fellow genius.

"Sure, I'll have them done in no time," she replied. As Hayley left the room, Tommy watched the Rangers engage their massive foe. Separately, the Delta Runners put up a good fight but were unable to finish the job.

"Kat, can those zords be combined?" Tommy asked. Kat nodded.

"I'm on it, Captain," she replied. The cat-like woman activated the comms on her terminal. "Austin, the Red Ranger has to initiate the formation of the Megazord," she remarked.

"Got it, Kat!" Austin replied, Before he could continue speaking, Sky cut in.

"You should have done that already anyway," he barked, "You're breaking protocol.'

"Rangers don't use force until it's necessary, Sky," Austin lectured. The Blue Ranger rolled his eyes, but was interrupted by Bridge.

"Can you two fight _after the fight?_" the Green Ranger inquired.

"Yeah, cut it out!" Syd added, annoyed. Austin immediately activated the Megazord formation.

"Gladly. Form up guys!" he instructed. Meanwhile, Tommy was rather disappointed by the Rangers' teamwork thus far.

"Kat, does Sky usually act like this?" he questioned. The feline alien shook her head.

"No; I think he's a bit peeved about not being the Red Ranger," she answered.

"That's an understatement," Tommy responded Kat nodded sadly as the focus returned to the battle at hand. However, thanks to the delay Sky had caused, the robot was able to escape before the Megazord was fully formed. The five Rangers let out a collective groan and headed back to base.

* * *

Upon returning, the Rangers were summoned to S.P.D labs where Kat and Hayley were waiting for them. Once everyone was inside, Hayley spoke up.

"Using S.P.D technology along with the Raptor Cycle schematics, Kat and I have created two new additions to your arsenal," she announced. Kat used a remote to open one of the Lab's storage bays, revealing two white motorcycles with red and green decals respectively. Austin and Bridge immediately went in for a closer look, while Sky lagged behind.

"Sweet; I guess you could say Christmas came early this year!" Austin remarked excitedly. Bridge raised a finger in objection.

"Actually, Austin, I'm Jewish," he apologized, "But I suppose you could say Hanukkah came early."

"Okay," Austin replied. Meanwhile, Sky was not at all amused.

"How come they get new bikes?" he questioned. Sure, he had one too, but it was a standard S.P.D model and much bulkier.

"Something wrong with your bike, Sky?" Kat asked, glaring at him. Sky shook his head and left the room, the rest of the Rangers following soon after.

* * *

Later that afternoon, the Rangers were again summoned, and this time sent to deal with a Krybot diamond heist. Making use of the new patrol cycles, Austin led his team to the site of the attack. The Krybots were guarding two cooler-sized containers of diamonds with a teleporter on top. A mob of thirty or more krybots separated the Rangers from the gems, and only a couple minutes were left on the timer. Quickly, Austin came up with a plan.

"Bridge, you and I are gonna draw these guys off! Sky, Syd, Z, force your way through and disarm that teleporter!" he ordered. The others set straight to work, Sky and the girls making a beeline for the diamonds in their vehicles. Austin and Bridge, already morphed, used their cycles' maneuvering and lasers to draw the Krybots' fire and take them out. Meanwhile, the other three Rangers made it to the gems, but had no idea how to operate or deactivate the teleporter.

Austin and Bridge were held up significantly by the sheer number of Krybots they had to deal with. However, their bikes proved to be a decisive advantage, and soon they were headed to join the other Rangers. Unfortunately, by that time the teleporter's timer had run down to just under ten seconds, and there was no time for Bridge- the team genius- to look at it. With time running out, pressure mounting and no other solutions coming to mind, Austin decided to improvise.

"Everyone get back!" he shouted. As the others backed away, the Red Ranger used his cycle's blasters to destroy the teleporter, saving the diamonds. Austin and Bridge then powered down, and Z noticed a muffled sound coming from the van meant to transport the precious gemstones. Opening the rear doors, she found two workers tied up inside who knew absolutely nothing about the attack. Z set the two men free while Austin updated Commander Cruger. Suddenly, the situation suddenly became urgent when the head of S.P.D alerted the Red Ranger to an attack by a giant robot.

"Guys, we've got another situation on our hands," Austin announced, "Sky, stay here and guard the diamonds; everyone else get to your vehicles!"

"Why does he get to stay with the diamonds?" Syd protested. Austin rolled his eyes.

"Fine, you can stay too," he added. Smiling, Syd joined Sky by the two crates of diamonds as the others headed back to base to retrieve the zords.

* * *

As it turned out, the robot from earlier had returned to wreak more havoc. Lacking two pieces of the Megazord, the three B-Squad Rangers were forced to improvise by using 'transformation delta'. This added a large blade resembling a plane wing to the left side of Austin's Delta Runner. The Red Ranger wasn't sure that this tactic would work, so he called Syd for backup. With the Pink Ranger en route, Austin managed to stand his Delta Runner up on the right side wheels and charge the giant robot.

The giant blade sliced through the robot with ease; perhaps the plan would work after all. Austin charged the robot a few more times, and finally the machine could take no more. A massive explosion left the area strewn with rubble, and forced the monster to ground level. Exiting their runners, Austin, Bridge and Z met up with Syd and- surprisingly- Sky as they engaged the monster. Austin was not at all happy to see the Blue Ranger, who should still have been protecting the diamonds.

"Sky, what are you doing here?" Austin demanded, "I ordered you to guard the diamonds!" Sky shrugged off his leader's comments.

"They'll be fine," he responded, "Besides, I'm more suited for battle." Austin wanted to slap the arrogant teen upside the head.

"That's not the point!" he shot back. Sky ignored him and produced his morpher to judge the monster for his crimes. As he went to speak, however, he found himself surprisingly cut off. "Lieutenant Tate, guilty or innocent of disobeying a direct order and compromising the mission?" Austin questioned, activating judgment mode on his own morpher.

"You can't be serious!" Sky retorted. Austin stared dead-faced at him through his helmet as the scan stopped on the infamous red 'X'.

"Guilty as charged," he confirmed, "Report to Ops for your punishment."

"Lieutenant Oliver, subdue the monster and then escort Sky to Ops afterward," Commander Cruger cut in over the comms in Austin's morpher. However, as the Rangers turned their attention back to the metallic alien, they found it had escaped during the inter-team confrontation.

"The monster has escaped, sir," Austin radioed, "I'm sorry."

* * *

With their mission-gone-sour now over, B-Squad filed into Ops to be debriefed. As they had already deduced, Commander Cruger had returned just in time to see Austin and Sky's ill-timed altercation. The B-Squad Rangers lined up in front of the Sirian as he looked them over with an expression of anger and frustration. Clearly he was growing tired of their mistakes.

"Lieutenant Tate, with A Squad gone, this was the worst time for your selfishness," he growled, "Your decision to disobey Austin's orders and leave your post not only led to the monster's escape, but also allowed Gruumm to retrieve the diamonds. Unacceptable." Suddenly, the meeting was interrupted by an unusually high-pitched voice speaking with a matter-of-fact tone.

"Pardon the interruption, but you're only half right." Cruger and the Rangers turned to see what, by all appearances, was an anthropomorphic chipmunk. The young man was covered in a thin layer of creamy tan fur, which grew longer where most humans had hair. This supposed chipmunk had grey-blue eyes and wore a black suit with a white dress shirt, black tie and black dress shoes.

"Are you the agent they were sending from MiB?" Commander Cruger questioned.

"Yes, sir; Agent S, at your service," the mysterious visitor answered. Sky couldn't remain silent any longer.

"Are you a…" he started. Agent S cut in immediately, having heard the question many times before.

"Chipmunk? No, Munkan actually," he explained, "My race is from a planet where what you call 'chipmunks' became the dominant race." This time Bridge cut in, and actually managed to keep his speech brief for once.

"Wait, I thought aliens weren't allowed to be MiB agents," he remarked. Men in Black, the agency in question, was a once-secret organization that policed and monitored alien life on Earth, just like S.P.D. Agency policy dictated that only citizens of Earth could be agents.

"I was born on Earth, making me a citizen of this planet and thus eligible to be an agent," S responded, turning to Cruger, "As I was saying earlier, I vaporized that metallic alien on my way in."

"That's a relief," Cruger remarked, "Rangers, Agent S will be working with you to stop the Troobian Empire. He's here as part of a joint venture between S.P.D and MiB."

"No offense, sir, but just _one_ agent?" Sky questioned. Cruger rolled his eyes.

"A single MiB agent can be a force all on their own," he explained, "Lieutenant Tate, see me for punishment. The rest of you, dismissed."

* * *

Half an hour later, Austin entered Sky's room to talk with him. The Blue Ranger was staring at a framed picture of himself, sitting next to his father. He did not seem at all pleased to see his leader.

"So, how'd it go?" Austin began. The Blue Ranger looked up, annoyed.

"2 weeks on night watch, Mr. Leader," he growled. Austin persisted, wanting to get through to Sky and ease the rivalry, much like he and Conner had done before.

"Look, I wanted you to guard the diamonds because I was pretty sure those Krybots were coming back," he explained, "You're our best fighter, so I knew you'd have the best chance on your own." Sky paused, dwelling over the comments for a moment.

"...that does make sense," he admitted, "I suppose I should have trusted your judgment; clearly Cruger didn't make you Red Ranger for laughs." Austin couldn't help but smile.

"That's a fact," he replied, "That being said, I know we've had some issues, but I'm willing to work with you if you're willing to work with me. What do you say?" Sky paused for only a second as Austin extended a hand.

"Well, it's not working butting heads," he responded. The two shook hands, and then Austin moved to leave. He stopped halfway, however, remembering something.

"Hey, we're gonna play some more light ball if you want to come," he remarked. Sky started to decline, but wound up looking at the light ball glove on his dresser.

"Alright, but I warn you: I don't play, I win," he responded. Austin just grinned as he led the way to the rec room and what was sure to be a very competitive game.

* * *

Later that evening, Austin Oliver sat idly in the newly redone cafe, now officially renamed. As he took a sip of his soda, he noticed none other than Agent S entering the Cyberspace. Even more surprisingly, the Munkan took a seat next to him at the bar. After ordering a full meal, Agent S suddenly turned his attention to the young Red Ranger seated beside him.

"So, you're Austin Oliver," he remarked, "You look younger than I expected." Austin took another drink before speaking.

"Yeah… one of Mesogog's monsters shrank me down to age 8," he explained sadly, "It's been a year since then, but I don't seem to be growing much." Agent S didn't pause for even a moment to think.

"Had you stopped growing by that time?" he asked. Austin nodded hesitantly.

"Pretty much, yeah," he admitted. S nodded as his suspicions were confirmed.

"In that case, your body is likely in a post-puberty state even though you've been regressed; you'll be stuck that size forever," he deduced. Austin frowned, his head coming to rest on the bar.

"Great…" he moaned. Agent S put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"You know, you're not alone. We're in the same boat," he admitted, "The average Munkan is two feet shorter than the average human. I'm actually tall for my species, and I still get mistaken for a child." Austin was taken aback by this information; his situation was trivial compared to that of Agent S!

"That's horrible! I'm sorry you have to deal with that..." he remarked, looking over at his mysterious acquaintance. For the first time their gazes locked, one pair of gray-blue eyes meeting another. S had never seen anyone with quite the same eye color as himself before; a unique shade that- in the right light- could be mistaken for hazel. The two remained transfixed for some time, until Hayley walked over.

"Hey, you two okay?" she asked, snapping them out of it. The two shook their heads, turning away with reddened faces.

"Fine, mom..." Austin muttered, taking a drink to calm his nerves. Agent S returned his focus to the meal in front of him, remaining silent for several minutes.

"...sorry about that. It was kind of awkward," he apologized after a while. Austin shook his head.

"It's fine, man; don't worry about it," he insisted. A short pause. "You know, it sucks that MiB is all 'no identity' and stuff. It'd be nice to get to know you," the Red Ranger added. Despite attempting to restrain himself, Agent S could feel a half smile force its way onto his face. His emotions were out of control, and he had a pretty good idea why.

"Yeah," he replied bluntly. Finishing his meal, he stood to leave but quickly turned back. "Where's room 250?"

"It's next door to mine, actually; I'll take you there," Austin replied, getting to his feet. The two young men walked together to the elevator, the Red Ranger pressing the button for floor two. Upon arriving on said floor, Austin led Simon to the right and towards rooms 226 through 250. Coming to a stop in front of 249, Austin indicated the only room beyond it.

"Great; end of the hall," S muttered, "At least I'm close to a staircase…" Austin rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as if hiding something.

"At least we don't have many people down this far," he pointed out. S had to admit that was a nice plus; fewer people, fewer questions. "Anyway, I'm going to turn in for the night. See you tomorrow, Agent S." The mysterious Munkan nodded before turning to enter his room. A light blush appeared on his face as he stopped for only a moment, uttering three words he thought he'd never say again.

"Call me Simon."


	3. 03 Dogged

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, S.P.D, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(S.P.D theme plays)

It was a rather idle day at the S.P.D academy thus far, one that saw the B Squad Rangers hanging out in the break room. Austin and Agent S were discussing something off to the side, Sky was bouncing a light ball off the wall to practice catching it, and Z was reading. Bridge, who was eating toast, sat down behind the Yellow Ranger and began watching her in hopes of alleviating his boredom. Annoyed by the genius' antics, Z glared at him over her shoulder.

"Bridge, what are you doing besides eating toast?" she questioned.

"Watching you read," he answered, motioning towards his snack, "You want some? It's buttery." Bridge wiggled his fingers in a humorous manner as he spoke; one of his unusual habits.

"Buttery?" Z questioned, mimicking the motion. The two were interrupted by Syd storming into the room, looking for someone or something.

"Where is he?" she demanded. Z raised an eyebrow.

"Where's who?" Syd rolled her eyes at her roommate.

"Peanuts!" the Pink Ranger explained as if it were obvious. Z stifled a laugh.

"You lost your stupid stuffed animal?" Syd growled angrily.

"Peanuts is not stupid!" she insisted. Just then, the academy's aging Robotic Interactive Canine, known as R.I.C, trotted in whilst making an incorrect animal noise. The robotic dog was clutching Peanuts in its mouth, slobbering on the elephant. "R.I.C!" Syd cried, retrieving her beloved animal, "Bad dog!"

* * *

Later, after everyone had dispersed, Syd arrived at the room Sky and Bridge shared to deliver a copy of Bridge's favorite magazine that had been erroneously delivered to her. As she stepped foot inside the strange room, she noticed a red timer on Bridge's computer accompanied by an audio countdown. As the timer neared zero, Bridge walked up to the scene, oblivious.

"Look out!" Syd cried, shoving him out of the way of the door. The two cadets peered in from the hallway to see a piece of toast now resting on the floor.

"Toast? I thought your computer was gonna explode!" Syd remarked, shocked. Bridge couldn't help but laugh.

"Countdowns don't always lead to an explosion, Syd," he lectured, "I just rigged my computer to make toast. Want some? It's…" The Pink Ranger cut off his seemingly signature phrase.

"Buttery, I know. Look, I just came to give you this magazine the stupid mailman delivered to me by accident," she retorted. Bridge took the magazine and looked it over excitedly. Meanwhile, R.I.C ran up to the sound of another incorrect animal sound and rubbed up against Syd's leg, irritating her.

"Finally, my new issue of extreme upgrade! Boom and I are gonna upgrade his computer with a superprocessor… and maybe even a waffle iron," Bridge announced, mouth watering.

"That's great; now if only I could get this _thing_ to go away…" Syd groaned, looking down at R.I.C. Just then, they were called to Ops over the intercom, along with the rest of their teammates.

* * *

Arriving in the Ops Center, B Squad, now including Agent S, was met by Commander Cruger. The Sirian showed them the last transmission received from A Squad, a distress call that was cut off before the Red Ranger could finish giving coordinates. Earth's first line of defense was now considered MIA, leaving their underlings to step up and take their place. As Cruger finished up his speech, R.I.C entered the room and neared the Power Rangers.

"Now, that aside, there have been several missing person reports in the industrial district in the last 12 hours," he announced, "I want you to investigate."

"I can look around the area, see if anyone's seen anything," Syd suggested.

"And the rest of us can monitor for any alien activity," Sky added. Cruger nodded in acceptance, but was unable to speak before R.I.C nuzzled up to Syd again. This time he seemed to 'vomit' or some such function, leaving coolant on the Pink Ranger's pant leg.

"Eww! Look what he did to my uniform!" Syd cried. Cruger was not amused.

"Get out of the way, R.I.C," he ordered. The robotic dog complied, but then hiked up its leg and urinated on the commander's foot. All six members of B Squad grimaced as Cruger shook fluid off of his bare foot.

"Don't worry, it's just coolant," Bridge assured him. Sky could not resist making a comment.

"He must really like you, Commander," he remarked, laughing. Austin would've glared at and lectured his second in command were he able to stop laughing himself.

"Why do we even keep that malfunctioning beast around?" Syd questioned, "He's useless, not to mention totally annoying." Cruger stepped forward, speaking quietly so only Agent S and the Rangers could hear.

"Unfortunately, R.I.C's technology is almost completely obsolete," he announced, "It won't be long before he'll have to be deactivated." The Rangers were shocked by this revelation.

"What?" Bridge cried in disbelief, "Commander, you've gotta be kidding!"

"Whatever, he's overdue for the scrapheap anyway," Syd remarked. Z glared at her.

"That's cold, Syd," she retorted. Bridge spoke up again.

"R.I.C may not be perfect, but he's still a member of the S.P.D family," he argued.

"It's a machine, not a pet," Syd insisted, "It's broken, so let's replace it. If it's a matter of money, I'm sure my father..."

"Enough, Sydney," Austin cut in, "Come on everyone, we've got work to do."

* * *

Although not happy about what had just transpired, Syd drove her jeep to the industrial district to investigate the disappearances. Just as she was about to exit the Jeep she and Z shared, R.I.C poked his head out of the back seat.

"R.I.C! What are you doing here?" she cried, "Bad dog!" Ordering R.I.C to stay in the Jeep until she returned, Syd went looking for leads. As she looked around, the Pink Ranger came across a small glob of strange, green slime on a manhole cover. Just as she went to collect a sample, she was interrupted by a monster that resembled a rhinoceros and a batch of its Krybots. Syd managed to fend the bots off for a short while before being overwhelmed and left prone to a direct shot from one of their blasters.

Just as it seemed she'd be vaporized, R.I.C jumped in front of her and took the blow instead. The robotic dog crumpled to the ground in a sparking, smoking heap as Syd looked on in shock and horror. Morphing, she angrily defeated the Krybots despite the monster having already escaped. Grabbing R.I.C, Syd rushed back to base.

* * *

After Kat determined that R.I.C had shut down because of all the damage, he was sent off to the scrap heap. Later, Syd came across a cadet pushing a cart of trash with the robotic canine's parts on board. Using some brilliant improvisation, she tricked him into letting her handle the cart. Remembering her talk with Bridge earlier, she brought the robotic canine to the Green Ranger's room seeking his help.

"Syd, is that R.I.C?" He spotted her before she could even say a word, "What happened?" The Pink Ranger frowned.

"He sacrificed himself to save me from a Krybot blaster attack," she explained, "I was hoping you and Boom could pull off the ultimate 'extreme upgrade' on him." Bridge smirked.

"Well, we do like a challenge," he replied, "We'll give it a shot."

* * *

An uneventful midday later, Hayley brought Commander Cruger the findings of her analysis of Syd's recovered slime. Four of the five B Squad Rangers, as well as Agent S, gathered to hear the news.

"The slime is some sort of petroleum-based energy fluid, and there are definitely traces of human DNA," she announced. Kat added on to the discovery.

"We have a theory that the 'rhino-monster' is turning people into this stuff somehow," she continued.

"Now if we only had a way of finding where it's all being kept…" Tommy remarked. Just then, Bridge and Boom walked into the room looking as if they'd just come from a laboratory.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to R.I.C 2.0!" they announced together. R.I.C bounded in immediately, now looking as good as new. He signaled his entry with, to everyone's surprise, an accurate dog bark. Bridge and Boom went over several new features, including a small refrigerator compartment.

"I'm sure he'd be great fun at a party, Bridge, but he's not S.P.D material," Cruger remarked. Bridge raised a finger in objection.

"I also upgraded his hardware and installed new tracking software. His sensor capability should be off the charts," he countered.

"And, I upgraded his weapons systems," Boom added. Syd jumped at the word 'sensors'.

"He should be able to help us find more of this, then," she suggested, holding up the slime sample. Bridge shrugged.

"Theoretically, but we haven't had the chance to test his systems yet," he remarked, "His systems may be buggy." Syd didn't care, holding the slime up to R.I.C's nose.

"Find the slime, boy!" she instructed. Rick barked and then sped off, tearing a hole in the sliding doors leading out of Ops. Cruger grimaced as the Rangers ran off after the robotic canine, which was moving at vehicle-like speed. R.I.C eventually led B Squad to a field and stopped at a spot, barking once at the ground. Syd, hopeful that R.I.C was successful, grabbed a shovel from the Jeep she and Z shared. Agent S merely looked on from the comfort of his agency-issued Ford Taurus.

"Syd, what are you doing?" Sky questioned as the Pink Ranger began digging at the indicated spot.

"Following R.I.C's lead, Sky," Syd answered. The other Rangers watched idly as she dug a deeper and deeper hole.

"I told you guys, we never tested his systems," Bridge remarked, "They must have a bug." With no evidence leading to R.I.C's success, he and the Rangers returned to base. Syd, however, stayed in the field and continued digging, hoping against hope to find slime. Then, as rain turned her hole into a muddy puddle, the ground collapsed beneath her and revealed an underground room. Inside were a few dozen storage racks full of the same green slime she'd found earlier.

"I knew it! R.I.C was right!" Syd cried. Anxious to tell the others, she climbed up out of the hole through which she'd entered. However, before she could head back to base, she was stopped by the rhino monster from earlier. Forced into battle alone, Syd was outmatched by the monster and nearly defeated. Just as she appeared to be done for, R.I.C dove in and attacked the monster. Syd was inspired, so much so that she morphed and beat back the monster.

"I got this guys!" she cried, still in control when the others arrived as backup. Austin put a hand on her shoulder.

"Why don't we let R.I.C handle this?" he remarked, "Fetch boy!" The Red Ranger threw a small, cylindrical object up into the air, and R.I.C caught it in his mouth. Then, in midair, R.I.C entered a transformation brought on by the small device, falling right into the hands of the five Rangers. Agent S, meanwhile, pulled a metallic bazooka out of his car.

"A canine cannon?" Syd remarked, "Awesome!" As the other Rangers aimed the cannon at the monster, she triggered judgment mode on her morpher. Agent S lined up the sight on his bazooka as the scanner came to a stop on the red 'x' of guilt. "Guilty! Let's finish him!"

"S.P.D Canine Cannon! Fire!" the Rangers cried, firing the weapon. Agent S fired his bazooka at precisely the same moment, the combined firepower leaving the monster clinging to life. Syd contained him as the slime down in the cave turned back into several dozen confused humans. Turning R.I.C back into his normal form, the Rangers prepared for a long slew of explanations.

* * *

Once all the victims had been set straight- Agent S' neuralyzer came in quite handy- the six members of B Squad brought R.I.C back to base. Upon arrival, they were immediately called to Ops for what they expected was the usual debriefing from Cruger. However, they arrived to find a small crowd gathered and Cruger holding a red, white and blue military-style medal. The Commander motioned B Squad into the crowd and then called R.I.C up to the front.

"For extraordinary service in the line of duty, a special commendation to our robotic interactive canine, R.I.C, a valuable member of the S.P.D team." Cruger announced, pinning the medal on R.I.C's head. The crowd applauded loudly, but after a moment Syd spoke up.

"You know, R.I.C 2.0 is great, but somehow… I kinda miss the old R.I.C," she remarked. Bridge and Boom glanced at each other.

"You know, we didn't change all of his programming," Bridge responded, "There's still some old R.I.C in there." Commander Cruger then cut into the conversation unexpectedly.

"I can verify that to be true, Lieutenants," he remarked, shaking coolant off his foot. Everyone, even Tommy himself, was overrun with laughter.


	4. 04 A-Bridged

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, S.P.D, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(S.P.D theme plays)

Early one morning, Austin had just changed out of his padding from the previous night when the base fire alarm went off. A muffled cry came from next door, and then the alarm shut off moments later. An announcement was made that the alarm was false, easing the Red Ranger's worries while creating some confusion. The cry from Simon's room was now his primary concern, so he quickly ran over to check on the MiB agent.

"Everything alright in here?" he asked, entering the room. He found Simon, AKA Agent S, getting to his feet after apparently falling out of bed. The young Munkan was clad in only a white undershirt and a pair of white, black-seamed briefs. Having rushed over in a panic, Austin himself wore only his red, S.P.D undershirt and a pair of white, red-seamed dinosaur briefs.

"Yeah. Fire alarm scared the bejeezus out of me," Simon replied, "My alarm doesn't go off for…" He was cut off by his phone blaring Diamond Eyes by the band Shinedown. Simon quickly turned off his alarm, his face now bright red. Admittedly, Austin was blushing a bit himself due to his attire. "Guess I lost track of time…"

"I'm just glad you're okay, Si," Austin replied, smiling. Simon turned a shade brighter; he hadn't expected a nickname.

"I'm surprised you really care…" Austin gave a look of hurt.

"Why wouldn't I?" Simon's gaze fell to his feet, his hands wrung themselves behind his back and his feet toed nervously at the ground.

"There are a number of reasons, honestly." The Red Ranger gave a warm smile.

"You want to know one reason why I do?" Simon's ears perked up, and he immediately nodded. "I care because that's what friends do."

"You consider me a… friend?" Austin nodded, the smile never leaving his face.

"Of course." Simon returned to his nervous routine.

"In that case… would you like to go see the new X-Men movie tonight?" Austin didn't need even a second to consider.

"I'd love to."

* * *

Once dressed and ready for the day, Austin and Agent S met up with the rest of B Squad in Ops. They were informed by Commander Cruger that a search in the Helix nebula for A Squad had come up empty, making their MIA designation official. That having been said, Cruger left the Rangers to work with a single, somewhat cryptic statement:

"Be on the look for an intergalactic bank robber." Agent S made a quick assessment.

"Okay, scratch humans off the list…" he remarked. Before another word could be spoken, the alert siren went off.

"Robbery at Colony National Bank, stop him!" Cruger barked, "I keep my money at that bank…" The Rangers hurried off, but arrived at the scene too late. The bank was now being surrounded with yellow tape, and had a large, oblong opening in one wall. Clearly the hole was the result of someone slicing into the structure. Quickly, Bridge began examining the scene- and a few other things- closely; uncomfortably so. Austin, meanwhile, was called over by a young, blonde woman.

"Excuse me, are you interested in a witness?" she asked.

"Sure. What exactly did you see, ma'am?" Austin asked, remaining professional unlike his second in command. As Sky's eyes turned into hearts, the woman gave her statement.

"I was out walking my dog like I do every day, when this triangle-headed guy started slicing into the bank. He grabbed money and ran; slicing anything that got in his way." Just as the woman finished speaking, the conversation was interrupted by a call from base.

"Rangers, we've got an alien attack near your position! Put a stop to it!" Cruger radioed.

"Yes sir," Austin replied, turning to the woman, "We'll look into it; thanks for the info." The Rangers then hurried off, morphing before coming face to face with a blue alien who had a large blade-like appendage on one arm. When they first arrived he'd just sliced the top off of a sedan, which had Austin thinking this new foe might just be the bank robber.

"Hey! Big, blue and ugly!" Austin shouted, catching the alien's attention, "You got one chance: come easy and we won't hurt you!" The monster seemed amused by the comment.

"You're not taking me in!" he declared. Dodging an attack from the Red Ranger, the alien countered a charge by the Blue and Green Rangers. The girls were no more successful, and soon the alien made his getaway. Having failed once more, the Rangers returned silently to base.

* * *

"Lieutenant Oliver, your assessment please," Cruger ordered; the team gathered in Ops.

"Well, we have a sliced up bank, a witness, and an alien who fits the description," the Red Ranger remarked, "I'd say it's an open and shut case." Bridge wasn't so sure.

"Did anyone else notice the water at the scene? Or anything odd about that witness?" he questioned. A single nod of agreement from Agent S was accompanied by blank stares from Cruger and the other B Squad Rangers. "Commander, I'd like to run down some of my own leads. Think my own thoughts in my own way." he requested.

"Very well. Anyone want to go with Lieutenant Carson?" Cruger asked. Agent S raised a hand, moving alongside the Green Ranger.

"I'll go," he confirmed, leaving with Bridge. The remaining Rangers weren't convinced.

"Why'd you let him go, sir?" Austin asked, "I think we've got our man." Another siren cut off the conversation.

"Looks like your man has been spotted downtown," Cruger remarked. Taking the hint, Austin led the remaining four Rangers into battle against T-Top, as they now called him.

* * *

In a quiet alleyway, Broodwing dropped down to street level, greeting someone hidden in the shadows. The unseen being wasn't happy in the least bit, and hoped a new alliance would change its luck.

"I see you have a law enforcement problem," Broodwing remarked, "I can help, for a price." His latest customer handed over a large wad of cash. Their meeting concluded, Broodwing headed off to be as big a pain to the Rangers as possible.

* * *

T-Top, as the Rangers called him, walked dejectedly into an alley and sat on the ground. He had been unable to complete his mission, and now felt like a failure. Broodwing, watching from nearby, sent down a strange bat that bit the alien suspect. Against his will, T-Top grew to the size of a 30-story building like most large monsters the Rangers faced. Naturally this set off a siren at the S.P.D Rangers quickly arrived in the Delta Squad Megazord.

"Light him up!" Austin cried, using the Meagzord's blaster on the alien. Strangely, it did practically no damage to T-Top at all.

"No effect! What now?" Sky asked worriedly.

"Try super crime scene tape!" Bridge suggested. The other Rangers were shocked.

"That never works!" Syd protested.

"Trust me!" Bridge insisted. Despite his own judgment telling him otherwise, Austin took a gamble on the super crime scene tape. Surprisingly, the giant, super strong tape bound the alien successfully.

"Hey! Let me go!" the giant, blue extra terrestrial protested.

"Not a chance! You're charged with 5 counts of bank robbery!" Austin retorted, activating the Megazord judgment scanner. The alien remained strangely silent during the few seconds in which the device was working, but most shocking was the final reading of innocent.

"What? That's not possible!" Austin cried. Agent S popped in on comms.

"That's entirely possible, Austin," he asserted, "Sky, shrink cuffs please." Despite being surprised that Agent S knew of the Megazord's aforementioned device, Sky activated it and shrunk the alien back down to size. Arriving on the ground, the Rangers met up with Agent S and stared down their former suspect. Much to everyone's surprise, the witness showed up at that very moment.

"Hey, that's him!" she cried, "Arrest him!" Agent S looked at her through his official agency sunglasses.

"He's innocent," the Munkan replied, "Perhaps we should arrest you, though." Bridge smirked inside his helmet.

"After all, you're the one who framed him, so you must be the real bank robber," he accused. The woman tried to play them for fools.

"Really? What proof do you have?" she demanded. Bridge was only too happy to oblige.

"Agent S, recap our investigation," he instructed.

"Gladly," S replied, "First off, Bridge noticed water at the scene when it hadn't rained. Then, he tricked you into blowing up a balloon for the purpose of a balloon animal. This showed that you breathe like a plant. The final straw was when you revealed that your houseplants are from Fernovia."

"Apologies if I didn't piece all that together, guys, but what are you babbling n about?" Sky questioned. Austin put a hand up, silencing his second-in-command.

"They're right; I've heard about Fernovians from Kat and my mom," he remarked, "They're a plant-based species capable of jettisoning water at extremely high pressure, allowing them to cut through anything." Bridge nodded.

"You sure about those accusations, Mr. Green?" the woman asked. Bridge strode over to an abandoned, white sedan.

"Sure enough to do this," he remarked, attempting to hoist the car above his head. Surprisingly, he succeeded despite being under a lot of stress. Austin quickly ran over, grabbing hold of the vehicle as well. Synchronizing themselves with a countdown, the two Rangers shocked the witness and their teammates by throwing the car at the woman. As Sky tried futilely to save her, the woman suddenly changed into her true, Fernovian form and sliced the car in half, saving herself.

"Well, I guess you caught me!" she admitted, "I'll just beat you all and then go take out Broodwing for not dealing with you like he promised!" The Rangers were not fazed in the least bit.

"Bridge, I think it's your turn to subdue the criminal," Agent S suggested. Austin gave a nod of approval, waving the others off as Bridge engaged the thief alone. The Green Ranger put up a surprisingly good fight, and even nullified the thief's water attack by spinning around to deflect it.. Finally he gained the upper hand, and managed to stun the thief for judgment.

"If the results of our investigation are correct, you should be…" Agent S started. There was a pause before Bridge's morpher displayed its judgment.

"Guilty!" the Green Ranger exclaimed. Despite the thief's protest, Bridge summoned the canine cannon to finish the job. He and Agent S handled the weapon while the other Rangers merely stood by as extra stability. Soon the thief was down for the count, so Bridge contained her in one of the card-like units. WIth the other alien already in ol-school containment thanks to the shrink cuffs, the Rangers led him inside for his own judgment. After all, he had been on a rampage through the city.

* * *

A few minutes later, a hologram of Broodwing was displayed in Ops for B Squad to see. Cruger had been told what the Fernovian said, and knew the bat-like villain mentioned was serious business.

"Broodwing, a very evol creature who sells weapons, soldiers and robots to anyone who can afford it," Cruger explained, "He only cares about the money he makes. and nothing about the destruction that follows." Sky spoke up worriedly.

"I just had a bad thought," he asked, "What happens if he teams up with Gruumm?" Cruger paused.

"My guess, he already has."

* * *

Later that afternoon, Austin found Bridge in his strange, upside-down thinking stance in one of the common rooms. Feeling guilty about what he'd done during their earlier mission, the Red Ranger wished to apologize for his actions. Taking a seat next to Bridge, he was immediately asked a question.

"So, what happened to T-Top?" the Green Ranger questioned. Austin let out a sigh.

"Hr was sent packing with the confined Fernovian," the young Ranger answered, "He may not have robbed any banks, but he caused quite a bit of destruction and won't be allowed to return to Earth."

"Justice served," Bridge remarked. Austin nodded.

"Yeah… Listen, Bridge… I may not understand the things you do or how you think, but I've learned to respect them." he responded.

"Thanks, Austin," Bridge replied, You know, that Agent S isn't a half bad guy." Austin couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah…" he admitted, "Anyway, I've gotta be somewhere; see you later." The Red Ranger stood and began to leave.

"Later," Bridge called cheerfully after him.

* * *

With his guilty conscience cleared, Austin set his mind on preparing for the movies that night. Just as he arrived on the second floor, however, his private cell phone went off. The caller ID displayed Simon's name, despite Austin never having created an entry for him. Answering the phone, Austin was greeted by the Munkan's high-pitched voice.

"Hey, I just found out we're in a bit of a pickle," he announced, "There are only three showtimes; two earlier this afternoon and one past ten o'clock." This was an issue because the 2 hour movie, when started a ten, would end past Austin's midnight curfew. The Red Ranger sighed dejectedly, wondering when his rotten luck would finally change.

"Just wonderful…" he moaned, "I was really looking forward to it…" The young Ranger swore he could see Simon smiling through the phone.

"Well, we're not totally out of luck," the Munkan admitted, "I do have an agency-exclusive DVD copy." Austin's eyes widened.

"You're kidding me!" he exclaimed, shocked. Simon couldn't help but laugh.

"Being an MiB agent does have its perks," he admitted, "That being said, I had a suggestion. Before I ask, though, keep in mind that Munkans are a bit… childish by human standards..."

"You're talking to a high school graduate who stands less than 4 feet tall and has superheroes on his underwear. I think I can handle it," Austin reminded his friend, blushing lightly in the process. Simon remained silent for a few moments.

"Well… I was thinking we'd have a sleepover…" he finally spoke. Austin's heart sank immediately. While a sleepover sounded amazing, it would mean exposing his embarrassing nighttime secret. Still, he was admittedly rather fond of his Munkan friend, so perhaps this was for the best.

"Okay, but I have to warn you… we need to have a serious talk before the movie…" the Red Ranger answered after a few moments of contemplation.

"Alright then, just come over anytime after dinner," Simon replied.

"See you then…" Austin confirmed.

* * *

At just past eight o'clock, Austin Oliver sat inside his room having made all the preparations for his big sleepover. He had already padded himself up for the night, and had supplies ready by the door in case he had to come back for a change. Steeling his nerves, Austin stood and peeked out the door into the hallway. Finding the second floor sufficiently empty, he quickly slipped out of his room and over to the door leading to Simon's. The young Ranger hesitated for a few moments before finally triggering the motion sensor and stepping inside.

"Ah, you're here!" Simon remarked, noticing his friend immediately, "And... I think I know what you wanted to talk about…" The Munkan was clad in a plain, white t-shirt and blue pajama pants with white trim. He nervously led his friend over to the couch, which faced a large viewscreen embedded in one of the walls.

"Since we're having a sleepover, I need to tell you my most embarrassing secret," Austin began. Simon grasped his friend's hand to reassure him.

"I'm not going to laugh, I promise," he remarked. Austin took a deep breath.

"About a year ago, I sustained a serious injury during a now-infamous altercation. This, compounded with my Scoliosis, is causing lingering issues with my spinal cord," he explained, "One of which is that I am now… a frequent bedwetter…" Simon wrapped an arm around his friend, giving him a light squeeze.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with that," he apologized, "I promise, your secret's safe with me." Austin gained two shades of red, but smiled nonetheless.

"Thank you. Shall we start the movie?" he asked. Simon nodded, using a remote to start the film. The bespectacled Munkan then pulled a blanket over the two of them; Austin quickly shying away from their embrace. Again Simon's arm brought them together; his human friend finally giving in. Austin rested his head on the bespectacled Munkan's shoulder, the two young males blushing lightly as they watched the movie. For the next two hours of their lives, this small slice of heaven was all that mattered.

Eventually the movie came to an end, by which time Austin was growing tired due to his young body. Noticing this, Simon took advantage of their position by slowly lowering his body until they were lying down across the sofa. The Munkan's slightly taller body enveloped that of his human friend; the blanket now covering all but their heads. Simon quickly felt Austin's breathing become rhythmic.

"Sweet dreams…" he murmured, setting his glasses aside on an armrest. Closing his eyes, he gave Austin a gentle squeeze before joining him in dreamland.


	5. 05 Noah, Part 1

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, S.P.D, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(S.P.D theme plays)

Two days after dealing with the Fernovian bank robber, Austin and the other Rangers were called to Ops at 9:30 in the morning. Agent S was noticeably absent, but Commander Cruger proceeded with the briefing anyway. As details were given about a string of electronics thefts- Gruumm was taking the day off, it seemed- Austin couldn't help but speak up.

"Sir, aren't we going to wait for Agent S?" he questioned. The other Rangers were reminded of the Munkan by this statement, and now appeared curious as well.

"Agent S has taken a short leave of absence," Cruger announced. As the Sirian returned to his original train of thought, Austin furrowed his brow and became lost in thought. He had a good hunch as to why Simon had left, and he sorely hoped this wouldn't separate them for good.

* * *

Early the next day, a 9 year-old boy named Noah stepped onto a basketball court in Newtech City. A group of children, both human and alien, were playing a pick-up game using a ball one of the humans owned. Noah, who was admittedly a bit small for his age, happened to wind up in the path of the ball when one of the boys lost control. Catching it, he found himself face-to-face with the entire group.

"Hey, mind if I play?" he asked. The ball owner spoke up, seemingly representing the entire group.

"Yeah, you're too small," he replied, "Ball?" Offended by the boy's words, Noah decided to get some petty revenge.

"Ball?" he questioned, tossing it up. As soon as the sphere had slipped through the hoop, Noah thrust a hand forward and the ball disappeared. "What ball?" The boys were shocked; things didn't just vanish in plain sight!

"What did you do to my ball?" its owner demanded.

"Oh, your ball? It's over there," Noah replied, pointing out in the distance. The boys looked over just in time to see the ball reappear and fall onto a chimney. Noah's aim had been slightly off, so instead of becoming stuck atop the stack, it bounced off and eventually wound up back on the ground.

"Your a freak," the owner remarked before leading the others to retrieve the ball. Noah shrugged.

"You should've let me play," he retorted. As he walked away, Noah's attention was caught by a strange doll sitting on a bench nearby.

"Hello, Noah," it spoke, surprising the boy. No one else seemed to be able to hear it. "That boy was not very nice. He should have let you play."

"No big deal," Noah insisted. The doll wasn't done.

"Yeah, especially when you can do things other kids can't, like make things disappear," it continued, "I'm Cindy Sunshine, and I want to be your friend." Noah was not convinced.

"Uh… you're a talking doll," he reminded it. The doll turned its head in creepy fashion.

"Oh, I am so much more than that," it insisted, "I'll be your friend and give you anything you want, and all you have to do is one tiny thing for me. I'll even send one of my friends to help. His name is Bugglesworth, and he wants to be your friend too." As Noah became convinced by the prospect of friends, little did he know that he was in fact being lured in by Gruumm's sometimes annoying accomplice, Mora. The villainess grinned as her latest evil plan took shape.

* * *

Meanwhile at Delta base, the Rangers were enjoying some leisure time. As the others did their thing, Bridge had assumed his usual- and possibly unhealthy- thinking stance for no discernable reason. Suddenly, he let his feet drop down and resumed a normal stance, having had some sort of major idea.

"I got it! This is brilliant!" he cried. Sky raised an eyebrow as Austin spoke up.

"What is?" the Red Ranger questioned. Bridge paused as Z turned off her music.

"It's no coincidence that we're all here," he surmised. Sky shook his head.

"Sorry man, I think you've lost it," he remarked. Bridge rolled his eyes.

"No, think about it! We all have powers, we're all here, at the academy, Power Rangers," he continued, "The odds are astronomical." Syd actually gave the thought serious consideration.

"Maybe Cruger picked us because we had these powers," she suggested.

"Yeah, but why the five of us?" Bridge questioned. Syd paused before shaking her head.

"Okay, I'm confused," she remarked.

"Hello, Bridge is talking," Sky responded humorously. Z cut in angrily.

"Back off of him Sky! I understand what he's saying," she responded, "Why is it we're all here? Where did we get these powers? Is it all part of some bigger plan?" Sky did not waver.

"Our powers are no big mystery," he retorted, "Face the facts; everyone of us, especially you, is a freak of nature." Austin immediately cut in.

"Enough Sky, that was out of line!" he barked. Z raised a hand, preventing him from going further.

"Calm down, Austin," she spoke calmly, "It's alright." The conversation was cut off by the emergency siren. As they grabbed their morphers, the Rangers were informed over comms to immediately head for the zords. Once they had morphed and entered the Delta Runners, they engaged a giant robot with what looked like several satellite dishes mounted on it. Despite several attempts at taking it down, the robot remained almost completely unfazed.

"Nothing's working!" Sky complained. As Austin rolled his eyes, the robot suddenly emitted some sort of energy from its satellite dishes and caused a building to disappear.

"Woah! Did you guys just see that?" Syd cried. Z's mouth hung agape while Bridge stared on in awe.

"Saw it, yeah. Still working on believing it," Sky replied. Austin made no response, his attention taken by a small boy who appeared to be helping the robot somehow.

'Who are you…?" the Red Ranger questioned. Within a few moments, both the boy and the robot disappeared as well, leaving the Rangers even more confused. Alas, there was nothing they could do, so they returned the runners to the zord bay and awaited further news on the robot's whereabouts.

* * *

A short while later, Austin was mulling things over in a common room when Bridge walked into the room looking for him. Spotting the sullen Red Ranger, he walked over to talk with him.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked. Austin let out a sigh, and then gave a nod.

"Yeah, I've just got a lot on my mind," he answered, "Did you need something?"

"If you want someone to talk to, I'm here," Bridge offered. Austin hesitated for a moment..

"Thanks, Bridge, but something tells me we've got more important things to deal with right now," he responded. The Green Ranger nodded.

"Yeah; we found the missing building," he announced. Austin's eyes widened.

"You're kidding me!" Bridge, it turned out, was not. Austin led B Squad to a set of coordinates on the beach. This brought them all face to face with the missing building; no robot or mysterious boy in sight. Entering the structure, the Rangers found it all but deserted.

"Where are all the people?" Z questioned. Bridge held up a pair of dolls.

"I think I may know…"

* * *

"The dolls definitely have traces of human DNA," Kat remarked. Hayley chimed in with another discovery.

"These two workers had twins in the same building, so they were likely left behind as surplus," she hypothesized. Kat nodded, agreeing with her partner's findings.

"We'll let you know if we come up with anything else," she promised. Before anyone else could say a word, the siren sounded throughout the base.

"Rangers, the robot is back!" Cruger announced. B Squad sprung straight into action, morphing without a moment's hesitation.

"Opening zord bay," Hayley remarked. Flashing a thumbs up, Austin led his team into their Delta Runners, which they immediately combined to form the Megazord. Engaging the robot, the Rangers again tried to subdue the elusive foe.

"Let's try the shrink cuffs!" Sky remarked, activating the gadget without getting approval. Surprisingly, the robot teleported the cuffs onto the Megazord's own arms, short circuiting it. With their means of attack temporarily disabled, the Rangers were stuck between a rock and a hard spot. Noticing the robot again teleporting to safety, Austin made a split-second decision.

"Bridge, you're in charge," he remarked, exiting the Megazord. Sky looked on in shock as Austin went after the mysterious boy he'd seen earlier. Now powered down, Austin tracked the boy down to a small junkyard nearby. He caught a glimpse of the boy heading inside, and then found him hiding inside a large piece of robot debris.

"You're a Power Ranger, aren't you?" Austin nodded.

"Yes, I am. My name's Austin, what's yours?" he asked. The boy hesitated for a moment.

"Noah," he replied. The Red Ranger put on a smile, trying not to scare the boy.

"You know, Noah, you and I have a lot in common," he remarked, lifting a large piece of debris with one hand and spinning it around like a basketball, "We've both got special powers, and we both know what it feels like to be different."

"Really? Do you know what it's like being so small and different that no one will even play a game of basketball with you?" Noah questioned. Austin looked him straight in the eye, somewhat hurt by the statement.

"I'm 19 years old, less than four feet tall and I have super strength," he responded, "I know exactly what it feels like." Just then, the Red Ranger's morpher chimed, alerting him to a call. Answering it, he had a short conversation with Kat; Noah mulling over his words in the meantime.

"What was that all about?" the boy questioned after the call ended. Austin turned away.

"That building you teleported," he answered, "The people inside were turned into dolls, and apparently if we can't change them back soon they'll be stuck that way forever." Before the words could truly sink in, a pink monster with a beak appeared and pulled Noah away from the Red Ranger. Bugglesworth, as the monster was apparently called, then tossed out an orange object that expanded into a menacing looking Krybot. Morphing, Austin engaged the fiend in battle.

As Bugglesworth made his getaway with Noah, the Red Ranger fought a losing battle against the new Orangehead Krybot. He couldn't get in any offense, and it wouldn't be long before he was looking worse for wear. Suddenly, as he was blasted back for about the third time, he pulled out his morpher and called for his patrol cycle. Dodging another blast from the Orangehead, he jumped onto the incoming bike and hightailed it back to Delta base. This new Krybot meant business, and the Rangers would need some serious firepower if they hoped to defeat it.


	6. 06 Noah, Part 2

DISCLAIMER – I do NOT own Power Rangers, S.P.D, or any character other than Austin.

* * *

(S.P.D theme plays)

Back at Delta base, the B Squad Rangers waited for Commander Cruger to return to Ops after one of his longer absences. Austin remained quiet as several things ran through his mind. Meanwhile, Bridge and the others discussed the similarities between them, and how they'd all wound up at S.P.D together.

"Lieutenant Carson, you are correct." The conversation was cut short by Cruger's return. "You were all brought to S.P.D in one way or another… because your parents were all S.P.D." The Rangers' eyes widened in shock.

"Even mine?" Z asked doubtfully. Cruger looked over at Austin.

"Even Lieutenant Oliver's." The Red Ranger's eyes widened as he was snapped back to reality.

"That's not possible," he sputtered. Cruger couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

"Actually, it is," he corrected, "Your mother, along with the parents of the other Rangers, helped Dr. Manx create the Delta Morpher technology, and Tommy tested it. However, the chemical exposure has left you all with genetic powers. In Austin's case, they laid dormant until he obtained his Dino Gem."

"Incredible…" Bridge remarked. Sky, as usual, was not convinced.

"You can't seriously expect me to believe that Kat is that old," he retorted, "She's gotta be like 25... 30 tops." Cruger had to hold back laughter.

"One hundred and forty seven of your years," he corrected, "But I will tell her you said that."

"Does this have something to do with Noah?" Austin asked, curious. Cruger nodded.

"He's the last one." Bridge was amazed that his hunch had led to such a huge discovery.

"No way…" he remarked. Austin, however, was more concerned with the mission at hand.

"We've got to help Noah," he remarked. Suddenly, Kat and Hayley entered the room.

"He's not the only one you need to help," Kat remarked, "In a few hours, those people will be stuck as dolls forever."

"If you can defeat this 'Bugglesworth' monster, they should change back," Hayley added.

"Alright, here's the plan: we split up and find Noah," Austin instructed, "Without him helping, the monster will be easy to defeat." The other Rangers nodded and headed out towards where Noah had last been seen.

* * *

As the search for Noah began, Commander Cruger found himself strangely called to the front desk. When he arrived, the receptionist was speaking with a Munkan that appeared to be Agent S. It was hard to tell, however, because he was dressed in street clothes instead of a black suit. A blue jacket, white shirt, black jeans and sneakers replaced his standard MiB attire.

"What that's the problem here?" Cruger asked the receptionist. The woman glanced at something on her computer screen, seemingly memorizing it before speaking.

"Mr. Riley is requesting to see you in Ops, however S.P.D handbook section 1 clearly states that civilians without special invitation are to be limited to the first floor of the base," the receptionist explained. Cruger was, obviously, quite confused by the comment.

"Agent S is not a civilian," he insisted. The Munkan interrupted, speaking in an apologetic tone.

"Actually, Commander, I'm no longer with MiB. I resigned for personal reasons," he corrected, "Please use my real name now: Simon James Riley." Cruger nodded in acceptance.

"Would I be correct in assuming that you wish to join S.P.D?" he asked. Simon nodded. Before another word could be spoken, however, a series of events unfolded that could only be labeled as sheer chaos. First, a man's phone slipped from his grasp, and was then slipped upon- but not broken- by a woman. As the phone flew skyward, a nearby cadet slipped and sent a cart full of chemicals sailing towards the front desk. The receptionist ducked under the wooden furniture as Cruger froze in shock.

Simon, on the other hand, sprung into action without a second thought. Dashing forward, he caught the woman and brought her upright in a single, smooth motion while still moving. Next, he jumped, sprung off of two support pillars, caught the cellphone and followed his momentum back in the direction from whence he'd come. Handing the phone off to its owner, he slid to a stop and caught the cart, bringing it to a smooth, controlled stop without spilling anything.

"Woah…" was all Cruger could muster. Everyone else looked on in stunned silence. Regaining his composure, the Sirian pulled a morpher out of his pocket. Unlike the standard, black and white Delta Morpher, this one was navy and silver in color. For the first time in his career, Cruger decided to bypass S.P.D protocol. "Lieutenant Riley, welcome to B Squad."

* * *

As luck would have it, Austin eventually found Noah about ten minutes after splitting up from the others. However, it seemed he'd walked into a trap; Bugglesworth caught him by surprise and tried to make him a doll. Noah thwarted the attempt by teleporting Austin out of the way, leaving B Squad's leader safely behind some cover.

"Guys, I found Noah! Get over here stat!" Austin spoke into his morpher. Hearing him over the comms, the other Rangers headed his way as backup. Stepping out of cover, Austin faced Bugglesworth again only to be shocked when the monster's staff disappeared. Then Noah came out of hiding, the staff clutched in his hand. It was clear that he was through being fooled and misled.

"What are you doing? Give that back!" Bugglesworth demanded. Noah shook his head.

"I'm done following you!" he declared. Then he smashed the staff onto the ground, breaking it apart. The Orangehead Krybot decided that this was the opportune time to make a reappearance, sending the small boy scrambling. Austin shouted to get the bot's attention, which allowed Noah to escape. This also lead to Austin being pinned in, though; normal Krybots coming to the aid of their superior.

"Need a little help?" It was Sky, leading the others into battle.

"More than a little!" Austin replied, happy to see his second in command for once.

"S.P.D, Emergency!" the five Rangers cried together. Morphing, they engaged the Krybots in an intense battle while Bugglesworth looked on. Soon all the normal bots had been defeated, leaving the Orangehead on its own. However, the powerful bot was more than a match for the Rangers, so they called in the canine cannon as a last ditch effort. The Orangehead met the blast with an attack of his own; the two beams of energy meeting in a battle for supremacy.

"Alpha Blasters, combo mode! Fully charged!" Both the Rangers and their foe were surprised by this new voice. "Fire!" The Orangehead was flanked by a powerful blast rivaling that of Austin's own blasters. His own attack stopped, the damaged bot was disintegrated by the full brunt of the canine cannon's power. Turning to see the mystery attacker, B Squad came face to face with a new Ranger. He was clad in an outfit just like Austin's, but in blue and with the black and silver swapped on the suit.

"Who are you?" Sky questioned, shocked. The unknown Ranger suddenly looked away, having heard something.

"Not now, Sky!" Austin exclaimed, "Kat, send the zords!" Within 60 seconds the Rangers were inside their respective Delta Runners.

"Sending the Alpha Runner now," Hayley remarked over comms. The unknown Ranger was soon jumping aboard a large zord in the shape of a vertical-takeoff-and-landing (VTOL) fighter jet. It was blue, silver and black in color, with weapons mounted on the wings. As the other Rangers formed the Megazord, the mysterious sixth Ranger moved in to attack. Needless to say, without Noah the monster didn't stand a chance. Bugglesworth's robot was destroyed, and he was contained soon after.

"Now that that's over, who are you?" Bridge questioned. The mysterious Ranger looked over the five Rangers before letting his gaze fall on Austin.

"You once knew me as Agent S. Now, I am the Alpha Ranger," he remarked, "Power down!" His Ranger suit disappeared, replaced with an S.P.D uniform. The colors were swapped, however, making it mostly black with gray detail. It also partly matched Sky's uniform, because it displayed blue as the Ranger color. "My name is Simon; Simon Riley." For the first time that day, Austin smiled.

"Welcome to the team, Simon."

* * *

The Rangers returned to Ops after the big reveal, meeting with both of their superiors as well as Kat and Hayley.

"Congratulations Rangers, those dolls are back to their normal, human forms," Kat announced. The Rangers were glad to know that they had succeeded in helping Bugglesworth's victims.

"The mission isn't over, though," Cruger cut in, "Tomorrow morning you will search the city for Noah; it is only proper that he join the rest of you here at the academy."

"For now, though, get some rest," Tommy added, "It's been a long day."

* * *

A few minutes later, Austin and Simon sat together in a booth inside Hayley's Cyberspace: Newtech. It was just past seven, but already quite dark out. The two were discussing their relationship, which was sure to change now that Simon wasn't restricted by MiB regulations.

"I still can't believe you left MiB so we could be together," Austin remarked. Simon chuckled lightly.

"It was nothing, really," he insisted, "Besides, you're worth more to me than any job." Austin turned a light shade of red.

"Thank you; it's nice to have someone actually like me for a change," he replied. Simon smiled, giving his love a one-armed squeeze.

"I think you and I both know that saying I 'like' you is an understatement," he toyed. Austin let out a childish giggle.

"That's a fact," he concurred. The Red Ranger then grew nervous, looking at his feet as he asked a serious question. "Will you… be my boyfriend?" Simon nodded immediately.

"Of course," he answered. The new couple shared a hug before their server returned with what they had ordered. Their previous conversation was then set aside as delicious food beckoned.

* * *

Austin and Simon were busy the rest of the evening, as several changes were made to their living space. They first got some S.P.D techs to install a hallway connecting their respective rooms, and then shuffled the furniture about. Now Austin's room was a bedroom, featuring a queen and a twin bed as well as two nightstands and a dresser. Simon's room was now entirely a leisure space, and had been supplied with a table, mini fridge, microwave and a small freezer, all for snacking purposes.

As a result, the two lovers weren't able to hit the showers until almost nine o'clock, but on the bright side they had the whole bathroom to themselves. Austin and Simon took advantage of this opportunity and took their relationship a step further by sharing a shower. It was an incredibly enjoyable, intimate activity; one they would not have usually partaken in until outside of wedlock. However, being that gay marriage had recently been banned, they decided to waive this precaution for the time being.

After cleaning up and dressing in pajamas, Austin and Simon headed back to their shared room. Upon entering the bedroom, Austin quickly found himself pinned to the larger bed by his love. Simon was met with no resistance as he pulled out some familiar supplies and prepared his boyfriend for a fresh diaper. Austin blushed and smiled as the Munkan taped on his padding; the scene felt like something out of a dream. As they climbed under the sheets together, the two males knew theirs was true love.

* * *

B Squad met up in the garage the next morning, their primary objective being the location of Noah. The girls boarded their Jeep as usual, Bridge and Sky mounting their patrol cycles. Seeing as Simon's cycle wasn't ready yet, he and Austin rode together in the latter's Mustang. The adaptive paint scheme was changed into one bearing S.P.D decals, allowing them free reign of the streets. Splitting up, the Rangers began the search for their elusive, young acquaintance.

It was half past twelve when Sky radioed that he'd spotted the boy entering a department store in the downtown area. The others converged on the store, parking out of sight and waiting for their target. Noah exited the store ten minutes after going inside, hands in the pockets of his hoodie and eyes darting from side to side. Knowing the boy's reputation, Sky pulled out his morpher and approached him. He clearly thought the boy was shoplifting.

"S.P.D, hands in the air!" the Blue Ranger barked, his morpher/badge raised. Noah attempted to flee into an alley between the store and an apartment building, but was thwarted by a dead end. Clearly he didn't know his way around the city. In horror, Austin noticed too late that Sky had drawn his blaster. Criminal or not, this was excessive force when dealing with juveniles and he knew his second in command would not hesitate to use it.

The next ten seconds were a blur for the whole team. Noah used familiar acrobatics to wall jump onto the ladder of a fire escape. Sky fired his blaster immediately, striking the boy dead in the shoulder. Noah let out a cry of pain as he lost his grip on the ladder and began to fall. Acting on instinct, Austin darted forward, jumped up and caught the boy. Landing firmly on both feet, the Red Ranger turned to his second in command.

"Stand down, Sky," he ordered sternly, "That was excessive force, and you know it."

"I'm pretty sure Cruger wants him ialive/i, too," Syd added. Sky quickly became defensive.

"I couldn't just let him get away! He stole something!" the Blue Ranger protested. Simon walked up, stuck a hand in the boy's hoodie and produced a small item.

"Power Rangers Holo Cards: Veterans Pack," he recited, "Approximately $3.74 with tax; not worth injuring someone over. Even if they are stolen." Bridge nodded in agreement.

"Plus, you don't even know for certain he stole them," the Green Ranger pointed out, "You haven't even done a judgment scan." Z added another interesting insight.

"I know what it's like living on the streets with special powers," she remarked, "It's entirely possible that he's trying to avoid other kids, or even just embarrassed by his own interests." Despite being in pain, Noah turned a light shade of red. Austin sighed and weighed his options for a moment.

"Alright, here's the deal. The kid needs medical attention thanks to trigger-happy over here." He glared at Sky. "We're gonna take him back to base and get him patched up. We'll tell Cruger what happened here, and it'll be up to him what happens next." The others nodded, returning to their vehicles. By this time, Simon had already placed the holo cards in an evidence bag and bandaged Noah's wound. Austin loaded the boy into the back seat of his Mustang, and then the two Rangers drove back to base.

* * *

"You WHAT?" Commander Cruger demanded, the Sirian seething with anger. Austin had just finished recounting the earlier events, and now the head of S.P.D Earth was looking Sky dead in the eye.

"Sir, the boy committed a crime, so I-" Sky protested. Cruger cut him off angrily.

"Regardless of the situation, use of deadly force against a child is completely unacceptable! I should have your badge for this!" he roared. Sky stepped back, shocked. Austin surprised even himself by stepping in to mediate.

"Commander, I agree with the first part of your statement, but in this case we must consider outside circumstances," he interjected, "While he is a child, Noah was seen collaborating with criminals aligned with Emperor Gruumm. Sky likely took action thinking the kid could call in Krybots or something." Cruger considered the Red Ranger's words for a moment.

"You have a point," he finally admitted. Just then, Tommy entered the room and caught the group's attention.

"Noah has been stitched up and is now ready for questioning," he announced. Cruger paused for a moment before picking up a file and holding it out to Austin.

"Lieutenant Oliver, I'm placing Noah's case in your hands. I have… iother things/i to deal with," he remarked, growling at Sky, "Come with me, Lieutenant Tate. The rest of you, dismissed."

* * *

By the time he entered the base's small hospital wing, Austin had gone through Noah's file and knew exactly what questions he wanted to ask. The Red Ranger found his young acquaintance sitting on a bed towards the back of the wing, thankfully in an isolated room. The boy had his shirt off, revealing a nasty, patched-up wound on his shoulder as well as the waistband of a pair of Green Lantern briefs.

"Hi there, my name's Austin," the Red Ranger remarked, sitting down on a bed across from the boy.

"I'm Noah…" came the soft response. Clearly he was still a bit shaken up.

"I'm sorry about earlier; what happened was against S.P.D rules," Austin apologized, "I promise, no one's going to hurt you now." Noah breathed a sigh of relief, and calmed down a bit.

"Let me guess: you have some questions to ask," he guessed. Austin nodded.

"The first thing I want to address is what you did yesterday," he began. The boy fessed up immediately.

"I-I was tricked into teleporting the building," he admitted, "After that, they made violent threats to keep me from leaving." Austin blinked in surprise; this was going to be easier than he thought. Noting the boy's expression and mannerisms, the Red Ranger concluded that he was telling the truth.

"Alright, moving on to today," Austin continued. He produced the holo cards Noah had obtained earlier. "Sky was under the impression that you stole these." Noah shook his head.

"I paid for them with my own money," he insisted, reaching into his pocket, "Here, I have the receipt." Austin examined the slip of paper and found all the details correct. Noah was completely in the clear. "So... am I free to go?" the boy asked, pulling on his shirt.

"Not exactly." Austin turned to see not just Tommy, but both his parents standing in the doorway. The two walked over, motioning Austin to sit next to Noah while they sat on the bed he'd been on.

"This is going to come as a shock, but... you two are brothers," Hayley announced. Austin's eyes widened in shock.

"B-Brothers?" Austin questioned, "But how?" Tommy looked at Hayley, who knew the details better.

"My brother's wife has the same problem as your father's sister," she explained. Austin caught on immediately.

"So Noah's a test tube baby too?" he deduced. Hayley nodded.

"My brother specifically chose one of my eggs, and by some freak coincidence, they used Tommy's sperm," she confirmed.

"That explains why my parents sent me here," Noah remarked, "I guess I'm joining the academy, huh?" Tommy nodded.

"Austin will train you, and then you'll join B Squad when you're ready," he confirmed. The meeting was suddenly interrupted by the intercom.

"B Squad, report to the center of operations immediately." Austin looked apologetically at his family, handing Noah his holo cards before heading off towards Ops.

* * *

"Rangers, I have assignments for you to work on for the rest of the day," Cruger announced. The Rangers were sent off in pairs, Syd with Z and Simon with Bridge. With Sky off serving his punishment, Austin- the last to receive orders- found himself alone.

"What about me, sir?" Austin asked. Cruger paused for a moment.

"Lieutenant Oliver, I understand you've gone through a lot in the last 36 hours," Cruger remarked. Austin nodded.

"Yes, sir," he admitted "Simon's absence combined with our unusual mission put a lot of stress on me."

"My apologies. I'm giving you the afternoon off under the guise of training," Cruger replied, "Spend some time with your brother; I'm sure you two want to get to know each other." Austin was shocked at first, but quickly regained his composure.

"Yes sir, thank you sir," he responded, saluting before leaving Ops. Immediately he headed to gather his brother; they had quite a day ahead of them.

* * *

Late that night, Noah Ziktor was led by his father to the second floor of Delta base. After a long day of bonding with his older brother, it was time for the boy to be assigned a room and get some rest. Tommy led Noah down the hall and into a room numbered 249. The two stumbled upon a surprising scene, which quickly turned awkward.

Austin, laid out on a queen bed, was padded up for the night and losing a tickle war between himself and Simon. The Red Ranger couldn't stop himself from laughing, even when his father and brother entered the room. Simon, however, promptly ceased his actions and allowed his boyfriend to regain his composure. Now red as a tomato, Austin looked nervously up at his father. Before a word could be spoken, Hayley rushed into the room and came to a stop.

"...I'm too late, aren't I?" she asked. Tommy just looked at her incredulously, receiving a sigh in response. "Let me explain. That injury Austin sustained during the Wizard Wood incident has caused some spinal issues, which have made him a bedwetter."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Tommy asked both Hayley and Austin at once. The Red Ranger actually spoke up this time.

"I was embarrassed and thought you'd laugh at me… so I went to mom instead…" he admitted. Tommy sat down and pulled his elder son into a hug.

"I would never laugh at you, not because of something like that," he promised, "Next time something like this happens, don't be afraid to tell me." Austin hugged his father back.

"Okay, dad…" he responded. The elder Oliver then motioned to Noah.

"Noah is going to be rooming with you now. Is that alright?" he announced. Austin nodded, smiling.

"It's fine, dad," he replied, turning to Noah, "Come on bro, there's space for your stuff in here." The Red Ranger opened an empty drawer of the dresser as Noah walked over. Their parents watched as what few clothes Noah had were neatly put away.

"Alright, we're leaving now. Good night you two," Hayley announced once the boys were done.

"Good night, mom; good night, dad," Austin replied. Noah mimicked his performance.

"Good night, boys," Tommy responded. He and Hayley then left as Austin turned to his brother, giving him a verbal tour of the room.

"Simon and I share the queen bed, so you can have the twin. Help yourself to any food or drink you find, and make yourself at home," he remarked.

"Thanks, bro. I'm glad we get to room together," Noah replied. Austin smiled and nodded.

"Me too," he agreed, "Now, let's get some sleep. I think we could all use the rest." The others nodded and quickly got ready for bed. Soon the three roommates were in bed, the room dark save for a small night light. Austin looked across the room as Simon snuggled up behind him; Noah was probably the best brother he could have asked for. Smiling, he took one last look at the nine year-old before closing his eyes and joining his boyfriend in dreamland.


End file.
